


Wild Misadventures

by Avogara



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Accidents Happen, Banter, Bears, Cat Daddies, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Rollercoaster, Emotional Sex, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, Fireplace sex, Fluff, Forensic Scientist Kuroo, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hot Springs & Onsen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Light Angst, M/M, Mountains, National Park, Nature, Nobody Fucks With Kenma And Gets Away With It, Outdoor Sex, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Post-Canon, Pro Gamer Kenma, Roadtrip, Stargazing, Timeskip, Vomiting, Wildlife, Working things out, relationship drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:28:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 79,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22321708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avogara/pseuds/Avogara
Summary: "KUROO DON'T—"The bathroom door immediately slammed open."...Come in," Kenma finished lamely as he sat hunched over on the toilet with his phone, his hoodie bunched up in folds over his lap. He swiped a palm down his face in aggravation."Kenma," Kuroo said breathless with exhilarated excitement, dark eyes glittering. "I gotta tell you something."—Kenma doesn't like surprises, especially not ones that involve five day road trips into the wild. Unfortunately, Kuroo has a few more secrets up his sleeves.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 333
Kudos: 1081
Collections: Recommended KuroKen Fics, good slow burn





	1. The Trip

"KUROO DON'T—"

The bathroom door immediately slammed open.

"...Come in," Kenma finished lamely as he sat hunched over on the toilet with his phone, his hoodie bunched up in folds over his lap. He swiped a palm down his face in aggravation.

"Kenma," Kuroo said breathless with exhilarated excitement, dark eyes glittering. "I gotta tell you something."

"Little busy," Kenma groaned into his fingers trying not to make eye contact with his insane, boundaryless boyfriend.

"But it's _really_ important!" Kenma could hear the beaming giddiness in his voice and saw his ratty ass socks and gray sweatpants shift forward to stand in front of him.

"Kuroo," Kenma breathed. "I need a minute, okay?" He peered up through his fingers at the big stupid grin on the tall cat's face.

"Sure, you got it dude." The blocker nodded, pushing up his thick black-rimmed glasses and crossing his well-sculpted arms over a slim charcoal t-shirt. He shifted his butt to sit halfway on the vanity countertop.

" _Alone_ ," Kenma clarified, glaring daggers.

"Oh _come on_ , it's not like I haven't seen—"

_"Get. Out."_

"Fine! Fine. Just hurry up, I'm dying to tell you already..."

Kuroo pulled the bathroom door shut with a slam and Kenma could hear him slump down the wall just outside in the hallway. This hardly counted as _alone_ if Kuroo was still listening.

"Are you done yet?" Kuroo called eight seconds later through the door.

"No, goddammit. Go away," Kenma growled as his insides did flips.

"Fuck, Kenma I can't hold it much longer."

"Same," the former setter grunted wishing for once in his life he could take a shit in peace. Kuroo was like a two year old when it came to personal space: _What's yours is mine._

"Can I just tell you now?"

"No."

"Please?" He tried again.

" _No_ ," Kenma reiterated emphatically louder, letting his aggravation get the best of him.

"Do you want to guess?"

"I _want_ you to go away."

"Well, I want _you_ to hurry up before my lips burn off," Kuroo shot back. It wasn't fair. He rarely had anything this fun to tell Kenma and he was already being a total sourpuss about it.

The toilet flushed.

Kuroo scrambled to his feet as the sounds of running water came next, followed by footsteps. Kenma opened the door and nearly murdered Kuroo with his glare alone.

"What?" He asked blankly. "What is so damn important Kuroo?"

Kuroo grinned wide from ear to ear with ornery cheshire pleasure.

"You're not gonna believe me."

Kenma didn't bite. He stood in the doorway, eyebrows strongly furrowed, shoulders slumped, staring at the crazed blocker who was indeed blocking his path with one strong arm gripping the door frame.

"SO, my dad is speaking last minute at a conference this weekend," Kuroo began, his original excitement completely renewed.

"Good for him." Kenma ducked under Kuroo's arm and began to walk down the hallway.

Naturally, his boyfriend tailed him.

"Annnnd he _had_ booked a cabin up in the mountains," Kuroo explained smoothly as he followed Kenma into the living room.

The still partially blonde man sat down on the couch and snatched his handheld Switch from one of the little wicker organizer bins stored on the lower level of their coffee table.

"Sucks for him," Kenma said blandly, pressing the device on and feeling the rush from the burst of electronic music that ushered in the game from the loading screen.

"Well, maybe yea," Kuroo conceded huffing out a short, humorless laugh while lowering himself to sit atop one folded leg. His other connecting lazily off the couch with the floor. "But that's not the _point_ Kenma."

The pro gamer didn't acknowledge him as quick, sharp fighting and slashing sounds issued from the handheld.

"Earth to Kenma. I'm still talking here."

"And _I'm listening_ ," Kenma insisted, slight irritation piquing up in his voice. It must have been a bad shit for him to act like such a brat right now.

"Okay, well, so like clearly he can't _use_ the cabin now," Kuroo explained. "So he offered the reservation to us! It looks awesome. It's in a national park up out in the middle of nowhere with mountains, trails, and hot springs and stuff."

Golden eyes flitted up to Kuroo for a moment before snapping back down to the game.

"Doooo you want to go?" Kuroo asked hopefully, crushing Kenma invisibly with the intensity of his desperation and obvious desire. The blocker's foot began to tap out excess energy on the ground making Kenma anxious.

The truth was that Kenma didn't particularly want to leave the house. Or the internet. Or civilization. But he couldn't very well _say_ this because Kuroo had that look on his face like an untrained puppy who was just so overwhelmed with excitement it could wet itself at any moment.

"I have to stream this weekend."

Strike one.

"You don't _have_ to stream anytime Kenma. You choose to stream and you can choose _not_ to," Kuroo reasoned flippantly. "It's not like your fans are going to drop you just for taking a weekend off once in a while."

Kenma huffed out a short breath from his nose.

"No one would be able to feed the cats."

Strike two.

"Akaashi said he would come over and take care of them each day."

The golden glare Kuroo received told him that Kenma did _not_ appreciate being consulted after Akaashi. Now he knew it was premeditated to some extent.

"How the hell would we even get there? You said it's out in the middle of nowhere."

Strike three.

"I still have my license from when we moved! We can rent a car. Road trip, easy peesy," the blocker tapped Kenma’s knee twice for extra effect.

Kuroo had gotten his driver's license right before they initially moved out of their tiny Tokyo apartment in exchange for a pretty private rental house in the suburbs. This way they could move with a rental van at their leisure and pick up new furniture and things while they were at it. He didn't really use the license much after that because they still didn't have their own car.

"How long did you say he booked it for?" Kenma asked feeling his resolve start to wane. He didn't look up from his particularly annoying hack and slash fight with a demon.

"For four nights and five days starting this Friday."

"This Friday is in _two days_ Kuroo..." Kenma's character died as he finally looked up in order to give the bed-headed fool a deeply skeptical scowl of disapproval.

"Yes, two whole days for us to pack and snag a car. Plenty of time," Kuroo boasted nonchalantly even though the bouncing of his leg on the floor still signaled to Kenma that he was pretty wound up about it.

Sadly, Kenma had hit strike four. Or was it five now? Kuroo was unnecessarily generous with his strikes when it came to Kenma.

"Do you really not want to go?" Kuroo said truly crestfallen, his face melting instantaneously into an open-mouthed grimace full of disappointment.

"I didn't say that."

"Well coming up with every excuse in the book isn't exactly a r _esounding_ endorsement."

"Why can't your dad go again?" Kenma asked suspiciously, trying to change the subject.

"It's like I said, he's got some conference they invited him to speak at last minute," Kuroo shrugged. "So are you in or out Kenma? I need to know so I can either book the car or go cry myself to sleep."

Kenma's face shifted into a deadpanned scowl.

He didn't really want to go, especially _this_ weekend as it was only a few days away. But Kuroo sitting here being so epically excited just moments before and now looking so hurt he might actually not be kidding about the crying part had Kenma start to question his priorities in life. Did it really mean so much to him?

"Fine," Kenma said evenly, giving up completely and pressing off the power to his Switch.

"Fine yes or fine no?" Kuroo shot back, licking his lips. He did that when he was nervous.

"Fine yes," Kenma said grimly as Kuroo whooped and fist-pumped out his limitless joy.

_They were going on an adventure!_

Kuroo couldn't wipe the big silly grin off his face even hours later as he laid out all the things that they would need to pack on their bedroom floor.

He sorted through the open dresser drawers and laundry baskets full of unfolded clothes. Carefully selecting layers that they could slowly peel off or put back on depending on the weather and time of day. Being still fairly early in autumn meant cool mornings and nights and likely warmer daytime temperatures. The perfect weather for hiking. The perfect weather to see all the leaves changing color in.

Kuroo was so impossibly ecstatic and strangely a bit fluttery nervous for all of this. He'd been wanting to take Kenma on a trip just the two of them for a really long time. Too long, in fact. Every trip they'd taken over the years had been more like family trips, friend trips, or volleyball club trips. He loved their family and friends for sure, but he was really craving some alone time with just Kenma. Which despite living together, hadn't actually increased that much. It may have even decreased to some extent?

Kenma was busy most of the time.

If he wasn't live streaming, he was making YouTube videos. If he wasn't YouTubing, he was on conference calls for BB Corp. If he wasn't businessmaning, he was cursing out the stock market. If he wasn't trading, he was gaming on his other consoles or handhelds. And if he wasn't button mashing those poor devices, he was eating dinner with Kuroo. Which seemed to be the only time he actually got to see his face and talk to him.

Kuroo really missed him.

But this trip would fix that. He had five whole days with Kenma all to himself. Even technology was getting kicked out of the equation because they would have limited, shitty wifi at the cabin and likely zero signal on their phones in the mountains. Kenma would probably still bring his Switch, but that thing was staying at the cabin when they went out for the day and Kuroo would argue hard for that one if he had to. His surefire excuse would be "You could lose it forever Kenma" and that would be the end of it.

Everything was going according to plan now that Kenma had actually agreed to go. Kuroo didn't have a Plan B if he had said no. It hurt too much to think far into that territory so he just didn't. He used the sheer force of his blinding optimism and magnetic charms and he fucking _won._

Kenma was all his for the long weekend. He would make for damn sure that this trip would be every bit as epic as he'd always dreamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this has been a fun plot to develop. These two practically write themselves (not sure what that says about me).
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed, and if so please let me know! There's a lot more in store for these two so stay tuned if you're in for a bumpy ride with plenty of fluff, relationship struggles, and silliness.


	2. The Road

_Kenma《8:37》: Are you sure this is ok? I feel like we’re imposing_

_Akaashi《8:40》: It’s fine. Really. You guys would do the same for us._

_Kenma《8:40》: Yea, but you don’t even have cats_

_Akaashi《8:43》: If it were up to Bokuto we would_

_Kenma《8:43》: You should get a cat Keiji_

_Akaashi《8:44》: I’ll settle for babysitting yours :)_

_Kenma《8:45》: Fair enough. You’ll have to let us know how we can repay you_

_Akaashi《8:48》: How about we all just get together sometime after you’re back. It’s been a while._

_Kenma《8:48》: Done. See you then_

Kenma turned off his phone and leaned his forehead against the glass of the car window as Kuroo sped through the urban highway out of Tokyo going north early Friday morning.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen AM sunlight. His work schedule had been carefully crafted with the help of his life coach to _avoid_ mornings at all costs. He wasn’t productive in them under any circumstances, so like many other things, situations, and people he hated in his life he did his best to never cross paths with them.

“You tired?” Kuroo asked. Kenma could _hear_ the smirk on his face.

“Please don’t say stupid things this early.”

“It’s not stupid. It’s just a question,” Kuroo said too cheerfully as he sipped his latte and passed another slowpoke.

“It’s a stupid question.”

“My dad always said there are no stupid questions Kenma,” Kuroo laughed lightly tapping the steering wheel to his playlist, which was far too energtic and upbeat for Kenma’s liking. The blocker seemed to be in a particularly good mood for someone who had just over eight hours of driving ahead of them.

“Yea well, my dad always said silence is golden,” Kenma retorted. His head slid down the glass until it plunked against the door frame.

“You stayed up all night streaming, didn’t you?” Kuroo asked smugly already knowing the answer. He admonished him with a series of little condescending tongue clicks.

“Shut up…” Kenma retorted with no real bite to it. “They don’t get me all weekend. I needed to give them _something_ back.”

He didn’t normally live stream on Thursday nights, preferring to go all out from Friday night on through Sunday when most of his subscribers actually had time to tune in. This left very little time leftover for Kuroo in general, although Kenma did bother to wake up marginally early (by his own standards at least) on Sundays so that they could enjoy Kuroo's homemade brunch together. It was nice, but it always left the tall cat wanting more.

Kuroo glanced over at him, biting his knowing smile at the slumped figure melting on the door behind a curtain of silky mussed black and blonde hair.

“Why don’t you just put the seat back and sleep for a while?” The roosterhead suggested, reaching a lanky arm over to lightly squeeze Kenma’s knee a few times.

The former setter said nothing, silently considering this.

“I feel like that would be negligent to my duties as a co-pilot.”

Kuroo burst out laughing and Kenma finally rolled his head sideways away from the car door to glare at him.

“Oh, Kenma! I appreciate the fact that you are so diligent, but a few hours won’t make a difference. My phone will be my co-pilot until then,” he said grinning and glancing over again at his slouched and slightly irritated looking boyfriend.

“You’re too loud,” Kenma whined accusingly. The tiny space in the rental Crosstrek only served to amplify his obnoxiously exuberant voice.

“Alright, alright. I’ll shut up, but only if you get some sleep, okay?” Kuroo continued to smile at his cute scrunched up face. “Come on babe, it’ll make the time go by faster anyway.”

Kenma hadn’t considered this, but it was a very good point. He just wasn’t going to tell Kuroo that.

The semi blonde yanked up the hood of his baggy maroon-colored sweater and shifted in the seat facing away from his too loud, too cheerful travel companion. He released the lever that lowered the seat back and slumped down even further into a pile of morning-hating mush. The caffeinated rootserhead in turn lowered the music and shut his big mouth.

Kenma was really tired. So much so that when he awoke over three impressive hours later they were a little past Sendai, which wasn’t too far from Karasuno and Shouyou’s old house. Thank _god_ they had always taken the train here.

“You awake?” Kuroo asked softly, unsure if the stirring he heard was Kenma’s consciousness returning to him or not.

“What time is it?” Kenma asked groggily from the shadows of his hoodie as he stretched and popped a few joints in his back.

“Little past noon. You took a pretty good power nap there little kitty,” Kuroo mused.

Kenma blinked the sleep from his eyes as he sat up and gazed outside. There wasn’t much to look at, mostly trees and other vehicles. He sniffed and lowered his hood to reveal long, messy multi-colored tresses.

“And they say _I_ have bedhead,” Kuroo teased.

“You do,” Kenma yawned, unable to think of anything snappier while the sleep was still wearing off.

The silence was comfortable between them. Kuroo’s upbeat music had transitioned to some sort of alternative rock, which was moodier and more Kenma’s speed. The blocker had wanted him to help build the _Awesomesauce Adventure Playlist,_ but he had only been given two days notice for the entire trip as it was so sadly that wasn’t in the cards. Kenma was stuck with whatever nonsense his loveable, strange boyfriend had pre-approved.

It was one highly-caffeinated energy drink and forty minutes later that Kenma finally broke the peaceful, alt rock-assisted silence between them.

"You need to slow down."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to piss myself in the rental car Kuroo."

"If you need to pee just say so Kenma. No need to crack on my mad driving skills."

"I do need to pee and you need to slow down. I'm white-knuckling it over here." Kenma clung to the oh-shit-handle above the car door window as Kuroo cut past another vehicle.

Trees flashed by on both sides of the highway. It had been more or less the same for hours as Kenma slept. All trees everywhere once they’d gotten far enough away from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Silence, save for the music, sat between them again for a few minutes.

"Kuroo, pull over," Kenma said suddenly, eyes pinched shut.

"What? I can pull into a rest stop Kenma, it's no big—"

 _"Pull over,"_ Kenma said again urgently as he pried one hand away from the death grip on the handle to cover his mouth.

Kuroo's dark eyebrows raised with the sudden realization that he should have brought plastic bags with them.

The car jolted to the side of the road, slamming to a complete stop. Kenma opened the door immediately and gracelessly puked onto the loose gravel and grass outside. Coughing hard and choking a little before the next wave interrupted him.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Kenma. I thought you were just getting on my case," Kuroo said frantically, unbuckling his seatbelt and feeling super fucking guilty for not picking up on what should have been obvious signs of motion sickness. Kenma didn't even like riding on the bus for Nekoma away games back in high school because he was terrified he would lose it in front of the team and then never live it down. How the _hell_ did he forget that?

Unfortunately, Kenma wasn't done. He leaned further out of the vehicle and heaved involuntarily again.

Kuroo felt like such an asshole for not being attuned to his needs. Of course Kenma hated long drives because they were a pain in the ass, but he had forgotten that Kenma's mom used to give him these little sea wristbands before long trips so that he wasn't as nauseous and could actually play his games during the ride. No wonder he wasn't on his phone or his Switch.

The lanky blocker put on the car's emergency lights and dug around the console storage for a second. Once he found what he was looking for he braced the door handle and waited for traffic to die down. When it did, he got out and slammed the door shut.

Kuroo walked around to the passenger side careful to not step in the energy drink and breakfast he had made them that morning.

"Here," the tall cat said gently, handing Kenma a few tissues, which he took gratefully and used to wipe off his mouth and forearm (a casualty of the splash zone). Thankfully, by the looks of it his gamer hoodie, black joggers, and entirely too expensive custom Converse that Kuroo had _warned_ him not to bring had been spared.

Kuroo leaned heavily with one large, veiny hand on the frame of the car door as he watched Kenma take a shaky breath in.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really," Kenma said miserably, but without spite.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been driving like a fucking madman," Kuroo admitted, tucking Kenma's long black and hardly blonde bangs behind his ears one at a time. He stroked the pad of his thumb softly over the side of Kenma's temple.

"Do you want some of my water?" Kuroo asked as he gazed at his uneasy looking travel companion. By the look on his face he was definitely still nauseous.

Kenma nodded silently, covering his mouth with the back of his hand like he might get sick again.

Kuroo threw open the passenger backseat door and leaned up into the front to grab his massive hiking water bottle.

"Take off the lid," Kenma said quietly as Kuroo tried to hand it to him.

"Why? Just use the straw cap," Kuroo flicked it open for him.

"It's gonna taste like barf if you don't take it off," Kenma warned, still clutching an arm around his stomach as he hunched over halfway out of the car.

"I like all of your flavors Kenma."

"God, you are so gross."

"Grossly in love with you," Kuroo countered, forcing the water bottle into his free hand.

"No. Just… normal gross," Kenma said taking it and drinking out of the straw cap because Kuroo couldn't just follow simple ass instructions. He gargled and spat some of it onto the ground with the rest of his mess.

"You okay now?" Kuroo asked when the former setter was all done drinking.

"I don't know," Kenma said honestly. He felt the urge to get his hair up off his neck, so he swiped it all back with dexterous fingers and rolled the hair tie off his wrist into a signature sloppy bun.

"If we keep going are you gonna be okay?" Kuroo didn't want him to feel like shit the entire time.

"We don't have a choice," Kenma said tucking his feet back into the car like he was done with all of this.

"Yea, I know. I'll drive slower, alright? So slow that grandmas will be passing us and flicking me off."

An unintentional grin crept out of the corner of Kenma's mouth.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh hohoho! Challenge accepted Kozume! By the end of this trip if we don't get the bird from at least one mum mum then we can consider this a failed mission!" Kuroo's laughter boomed as he smacked the roof of the car with over enthusiasm.

The lanky blocker waited for traffic again before hopping into the driver's seat and grabbing Kenma's hand to kiss the back of it.

Kenma peered over at him with slightly glassy golden eyes.

"I still need to pee."

 _"Right._ Also important. We'll find a rest stop next," Kuroo said kissing his boyfriend's hand again through their threaded fingers.

“I’ll get you there, Kenma. I’ll get you there,” he promised peeling slowly back out onto the highway as he vaguely wondered how he was going to manage pissing off an old lady to the point of rude gestures in order for this trip to go well.

—

They drove for another ten minutes before they saw signs for restrooms, restaurants, and gasoline.

Kuroo did in fact drive much slower, but probably not slow enough for anyone in Japan to actually flick him off. He went the speed limit and took the exit turns extra slow so that he didn't jostle them too much.

Kenma bolted once the car was in park, but Kuroo got out slowly and stretched his aching back and neck with a series of unhealthy sounding cracks.

He wasn't used to sitting for so long. Long days in the forensic lab meant standing, moving, putting things away in drawers, and pulling them out again later to reexamine, check tags, or show police if they came in with questions. He had a stool, a workbench, and even an office desk which he theoretically could have used to sit for long periods of time in, but he never did. His body wanted to be in motion and _doing_ the work even if it meant standing and leaning over microscopes, notes, and his laptop logs for hours.

After a few minutes of back and arm stretches, Kuroo walked inside the gas station convenience store.

He was wholly unprepared for what he witnessed inside.

From across the large store Kuroo could see Kenma cornered in a little hallway outside of what he presumed was the restroom as four taller dudes surrounded him and blocked his path. One guy appeared to be trying to touch his sloppy bun while the others laughed and jeered him on—peppering in taunts and wolf-whistles at Kenma while they were at it. Another had his phone out like he was trying to take a photo.

“Come on, pretty boy! Just one quick pic before you—”

 _"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"_ Kuroo shouted at fullblast outdoor volume across the entire convenience store filled with weary travelers, truck drivers, and service workers who all looked up in silent mortified shock.

"Whoa ho ho ho! Is this your boyfriend, faggot?" The primary antagonizer spun to face Kuroo who was storming across the store with murder blazing hot in his eyes.

"Yes," Kenma said blandly. The gamer wasn't always this bluntly honest with jerks like him, but he figured he would be polite and give him a head start if the asshole was smart enough to run for it.

The punk's face fell immediately. He clearly hadn't anticipated that answer.

Kuroo raged through the konbini and closed in on the group of stunned men. Grabbing a generous fistful of the main harasser's shirt and throttling him mercilessly into the candy display beside them. Sweets crashed down to their feet.

 _"If you fucking touch him one more fucking time I am going to shove that guy's stupid phone so far up your ass it'll turn your entire family gay,"_ Kuroo seethed through blinding, searing hatred for the wide-eyed bully who couldn't have been much different in age than them.

"Kuroo, stop," Kenma said quietly, only loud enough for him and the gang of miscreants to hear as he glanced nervously around at all the bystanders who were doing a very good job at, well, bystanding.

"You're gonna get us kicked out. Put him down," Kenma ground out in what Kuroo knew was his highly uncomfortable ‘get us out of here’ voice.

The bully glanced at Kenma and then back to the incredibly intimidating, much taller than him (even though he was by no means a short man himself) rooster-headed guy who looked like he was ready to slit his throat open at the slightest wrong move.

"WHAT? Homeboy don't wanna play now that he's got someone his own size to pick on?" Kuroo shook the man violently by the shirt, josseling some more candy off the rack in the process.

"Kuroo, come on. _Stop_ ," Kenma reiterated as he watched the convenience store manager finally scramble out from behind the freshfoods counter.

"Gentleman, please!" The stocky, round middle-aged woman in an apron begged them. "We can't have you fighting in here. Break it up right now!"

Kuroo's dark crazed eyes seared fire-raging holes through the bully's soul.

" _Kuroo._ Drop. Him. _Now_ ," Kenma repeated feeling the full weight of public embarrassment crush him in earnest.

The livid blocker finally let go with a slight shove backwards so that the guy tripped a little as he regained his composure and his friends breathed a sigh of relief.

"It wasn't his fault," a voice piped up from the center of the store.

The entirety of the konbini was watching the spectacle and now all eyes were on the young woman who had her hand wrapped tightly around the palm of her elementary schooler while her toddler sat oblivious on her hip.

"Those boys were picking on the longer haired boy. I just saw it. My kids just saw it," she said as if she just fully realized that and it broke her heart. "He was just defending him from them."

"Is that true?" The manager asked, glaring at the pack of dirtbags who all of a sudden didn't have much to say about Kenma or the situation.

"Yes," Kuroo breathed, flexing his fingers like he badly wanted to go in for round two.

"Get out of my store," the woman said to the bully and his comrades. "Go back to your mothers and have them re-educate you on what it means to have good manners."

The four guys blinked stupid looks of confusion at one another, still not having found their voices to either defend or excuse themselves.

" _Go,_ " the manager reiterated. " _Now._ Before we call the police," she added for good measure.

This instantly lit a fire under their asses as they scrambled to get out the door, muttering “fucking fags” and a string of other curses as they ran.

Kenma let out an audible sigh of relief. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath.

Kuroo turned to the store manager and bowed deeply.

"We're sorry for causing a scene," he said quickly. Kuroo was never one for bad manners. "We'll pick up the merchandise. If any of it was busted open we'll pay for it."

The manager waved him off, "It's fine young man. Just don't go getting heated up again. You're welcome to stay and shop so long as you don't bother anyone else."

Kuroo resented the fact that she thought _he_ was the one doing the bothering, but said nothing because he wasn't stupid.

He walked over to the young mother next, careful to not get too close to her seeing as he just went apeshit on another customer. This bow was even deeper.

"Thank you for speaking up," Kuroo spoke solemnly into the floor and couldn't help the prickling he felt along the rims of his eyes. God, he was still _SO_ angry.

"It's okay," he heard her say. "I don't want my children to grow up in a world where that is considered acceptable."

The lanky blocker stood up from his bow, locking eyes with her briefly as her kids started to get restless. He nodded and gulped down the hard lump beyond his adam's apple, turning away when she smiled sadly at him.

He was going to lose it again if he wasn't careful. One loud sniff and a quick piss in the bathroom later, Kuroo was back beside Kenma in the now much calmer and normal vibe of the konbini.

"What the _fuck_ happened Kenma? Did they follow you in or something?" Kuroo whispered immediately upon his return.

"They thought I was a woman and then got pissed when I wasn't," Kenma shrugged, not making eye contact as he browsed the snack aisle aimlessly.

"What did they _hit_ on you too?" Kuroo bit his lip hard feeling the blinding white hot rage surge back through his veins.

"Kinda. It doesn't matter. Don't think about it anymore. They're just losers," Kenma said holding his iced tea, Jagariko potato sticks, and plastic cup of pre-cut apple slices. He definitely wasn’t going to mention that they had side-checked him and pulled his hair when they thought he was a lady.

"Do you want Doritos or Norishio chips?"

"I want to go fucking smash their faces in."

"They don't have that flavor. Cool ranch or seaweed, Kuroo?" Kenma tried to redirect him before they seriously got kicked out of the store.

Less than ten minutes later with snacks purchased, bladders emptied, and adrenaline dulled they walked out of one pretty strange and horrible life experience only to head right on into another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rocky start for these two, huh? It's no wonder Kenma hardly ever leaves the house. Luckily for him (or perhaps unluckily at times) Kuroo has a pretty quick reaction time when things get tough.
> 
> Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.


	3. The Mountains

"Awwww, come onnnnnn!" Kuroo groaned loud enough that his voice boomed and echoed across the gas pumps and convenience store parking lot.

The windshield of their rental car was finely decorated in what appeared to be a dumped cherry red slushie, three cans of soda, and a litany of cigarette butts straight from a long gone ashtray.

 _"Fucking cowards!"_ Kuroo hollered with a hand up to his mouth to amplify it in their direction.

The assholes in the pickup ripped out of the gas station without a muffler, flicking them off as they howled with devilish laughter.

Kuroo supposed there were delinquents no matter where you went, but you just didn't really get this kind of blatant bigotry in the city. People minded their own business. There were _rules_ and _manners_ and just basic human being-level shit that most folks in and around Tokyo followed pretty strictly. They may not have _liked_ that they were gay, but at least they had the decency to smile to their faces and talk behind their backs.

"Kuroo. It's fine. We'll wash it off with that squeegee thing over by the pumps and get gas while we're at it," Kenma said calmly.

How the hell _was_ he so calm?

"What squeegee thing?" Kuroo asked trying to open his door without touching the mess splattered up along the sides.

"I'll show you." Kenma directed Kuroo to the glass wiper and water rinse and they even managed to score some dispenser paper towels while they refilled the tank and wiped down the car. It took a little bit of work, but twenty minutes later they had gotten the majority of the sticky mess off the vehicle and were able to continue their journey up north.

Kuroo was still fuming on the Tohoku Expressway a half an hour after what would forever now be referred to as "The Konbini Dickwad Fiasco."

Unconsciously it seemed, his foot pressed down harder on the accelerator causing them to need to swerve around the slow people who just wouldn't get out of his way. He didn’t even put his playlist back on, subjecting them to the crappy, low-quality radio instead.

Kenma sat quietly crunching his cheese-flavored potato sticks while staring out the window. An empty plastic bag from their snack purchases laid on the floor at his feet, the other two extras tucked into the side pocket of the door for safekeeping.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing _what?"_ Kuroo spat through his irritation. His shoulders were hunched high like a cat who didn't want to be provoked at the moment.

"You're speeding," Kenma said popping another salty stick into his mouth.

"Yea, well, they fucked us out of an hour of our trip so…" Kuroo didn't finish the thought.

"It wasn't an hour."

"Kenma," Kuroo took a deep breath in. "I can't right now, okay? Argue with me when I'm not going 130km an hour down a highway full of bigots."

The former setter breathed out a little sigh through his nose. He opened his apple slices.

"How about you stop going so fast and chill out. There were only four bigots. The rest of these people didn't do anything to deserve your road rage."

There it was. The voice of observant reason. Kenma always had it. It's what made him such an amazing setter back in the day. It's what often made Kuroo laugh until he cried whether it was directed at someone else or himself.

But in this particular moment it pissed him off.

So Kuroo ended up saying nothing at all, just gripping the steering wheel at ten and two while he focused his bespectacled glare on the road ahead.

Silence kept them company for a short while. The radio fuzzing in and out along with their 4G as they drove further away from the cell towers towards the mountains. Luckily, Kenma had the foresight to tell Kuroo to download the maps to the GPS app before they left just in case they did in fact lose signal completely.

"So," Kenma began carefully. "How's your dad been?"

The semi blonde glanced over at his miffed boyfriend who seemed to be digging his fingernails into the steering wheel.

Kenma continued.

"He's still doing conferences. That's pretty cool."

Kenma absolutely _loathed_ small talk, but he _loved_ Kuroo and right now that was just about the only thing that could probably pull him out of his funk.

"I remember when your dad took us out to a lake once," Kenma said watching the rice fields, sleepy villages, and distant mountains pass by through the window. His serene face reflected in the glass. "You fell in," he grinned a tiny bit at the memory.

Kuroo sighed sounding a little exasperated, but not blatantly angry.

"I know what you're doing Kenma," the bed-headed man said quietly without looking over.

"What am I doing Kuroo?"

"You're trying to distract me so that I won't be pissed anymore," Kuroo explained in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Is it working?" Kenma asked casually.

"God, I dunno..." His dark eyes strained behind his thick black-rimmed frames. "So what if I fell in the stupid lake?"

Got him.

Kenma bit his smile back and turned to the window again.

"I just remember you falling in and your dad flopping out of the boat after you. You both came out looking like half-drowned cats."

"Kenma, I could have _died_ ," Kuroo said dramatically.

"We had life jackets. And your dad wouldn't have let either of us die," Kenma reasoned. "So he's still teaching? Still doing his research?"

"Yup," Kuroo huffed. "Still adjuncting a few days a week for microbiology and advanced chem classes. I dunno what he's been doing research-wise. He's been hustling to get grant money and donors so I guess once he does that then he'll be able to actually do the thing. Whatever it is."

"When was the last time you went hiking with him?" Kenma asked casually, trying to get Kuroo to take the reins of the conversation.

"Fuck if I know. Like… two years ago? Shit, no, _three_ years ago. _God,_ we're getting old!" Kuroo slapped his jeans. This was a good sign.

"Was he originally going to take you on this trip?" Kenma asked in what he thought was a neutral-sounding tone, but apparently wasn't.

" _What?_ No, Kenma. Why would you even think that?" Kuroo said quickly, glancing over at him with furrowed suspicion. He looked slightly offended.

"Because you _just_ said you haven't spent time with him in forever," the former setter rolled his golden eyes. "That and you seem to know an awful lot about this place for not having planned it."

Kuroo veered the car suddenly, startling Kenma who snapped instantly back to the handle above the door.

" _Sorry,_ sorry. I thought… I thought there was an animal in the road," Kuroo sniffed and pushed his glasses up with the heel of his palm.

"So just hit it next time."

_"Kenma!"_

"Okay, don't hit it," Kenma redacted. He loved animals as much as Kuroo did, but Kuroo's dramatics had worn off on him considerably the longer they lived together.

"But seriously, don't… don't do that again," the gamer said as if his queasiness had returned.

"Fine. Fine," Kuroo agreed, shaking his head at something mentally and silently mumbling like he was having inner dialogue. Kenma wondered what that was.

"So is he dating anyone then?" Kenma asked seemingly out of the blue.

"Who, _my dad?_ " Kuroo said with wide eyes. "Yea, I have no clue."

"You are such a bad child Kuroo."

" _Thank you_ for pointing that out Kenma. I will add it to the list of Kuroo's Grand Fuckups, right below _‘Lets his boyfriend be assaulted by homophobes.’"_

"You know I'm kidding, right?" Kenma said more gently. Maybe it was still too soon after all that gas station bullshit. Kuroo's nerves were shot through and he just couldn't handle their normal level of snappy, clapback playfulness right now.

"I know," the blocker said a little defensively. It sounded like he didn't believe him or that he did actually think he was a bad son.

"So what's the plan for this weekend?" Kenma switched the subject abruptly since he had somehow mucked up the first distraction topic.

"I have it all in my phone," Kuroo said evenly. "But essentially we'll get groceries for the weekend and the keys to the cabin tonight. The rest of the time we can hike and check out the wildlife. I think there may be kayak rentals too, we'll have to ask. I know there's supposed to be, like, a secret hot spring nearby."

"A secret hot spring?" Kenma's mouth and nose scrunched up on one side. He didn't usually like going to hot springs because it was still weird to him to get in the water naked with other people who were also naked. He barely tolerated clothed people.

"Yea, like a natural one. In the forest," Kuroo explained.

"I'd be surprised if something like that exists," the semi blonde said skeptically. "Most hot springs have been developed over by now."

"This one is inside the national park, so they can't do that. Plus, it's supposed to be really remote and kinda small. Most people don't want to bother trying to get to it."

“Hmm,” Kenma said closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the seat.

“You tired again?”

“Yea.”

“Take another cat nap. I’ll wake you up when we’re close. It shouldn’t be too much longer now,” Kuroo said glancing over at the sleepy kitty in the passenger seat.

As upset as he still was, Kuroo mentally promised that this trip would still turn out to be a net positive in the end.

He would show Kenma all the things he used to love doing with his dad like navigating trails, making campfires, and spotting wildlife. He’d teach him how to kayak if they really did have them available. And on the last night, he’d surprise him just as he’d intended. This was going to be an amazing, wonderful, unforgettable, fucking _magical_ experience and _nothing_ was going to take that away from them.

Now he just had to convince his heart to let go of the hate, so that he could focus on love.

—

"Kenma. _Kenma._ Babe, wake up," a familiar warm voice began to drag him up out of the darkness of his subconscious.

A golden eye reluctantly pried halfway open and Kenma found himself once again transported to completely new terrain. Looming in the distance of the flat valley road before them were impossibly gigantic and majestic mountains. Tiny snowcaps decorated the very tops and they were tinted in afternoon light.

The gamer sniffed quickly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Kuroo continued to rough up his knee with excited, affectionate squeezes.

“Dude, do you see them? God, they’re SO much bigger than pictures ever do them justice,” the blocker whispered reverently as he gazed up at the silent peaks before them.

These were not like the “mountains” they had down south in central Japan. By comparison most of the ones at home (perhaps save for Fuji-san) were bunny hills. These were more akin to sleeping gods.

Kenma couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen something so beautiful that was actually real.

Plenty of his games were well-researched, illustrated, and designed to simulate nature and all its forms, details, and wonder, but staring up at these IRL versions somehow made the graphic efforts of those experiences feel cheap by comparison. There was an intangible sense of awe that had spread through Kenma’s body as he sat transfixed in the passenger seat of their little Crosstrek like he was at the mercy of those incredible distant beasts. Kuroo must have felt it too, because there was zero reason otherwise for a person of his vocal magnitude to be whispering right now.

“You getting hungry? We can grab something real quick before we get into town near the campground. It’s only about a half an hour away,” Kuroo explained, blindly moving his knuckles up his boyfriend’s leg to find and hold his hand. The blocker smoothed his thumb over the pale, gameless fingers.

“Yea, I could eat,” Kenma yawned. He stretched the kinks out of his neck and continued to eye the ridiculously massive structures of earth in the distance.

“Good, because I was _starving_ an hour ago and now I’m, like, two minutes away from eating my own fist,” Kuroo snarked through a growing cheesy grin.

Perhaps he was feeling better now that he’d had some time to cool down alone. He was by all means a hothead, but still technically an introvert so he often needed chill time just like Kenma to recover from social stimulation pleasant, wanted, or otherwise.

“Your mouth is certainly big enough to try,” Kenma replied dryly, which earned him a light whack on the chest from the hand that was stroking his just a second before.

After a few more minutes of driving they made a pit stop in a small town closer to the foothills. There was a sizable river running straight through the buildings and under a series of little bridges. Presumably, the gushing water was coming down from the peaks, which was then diverted to the crops and orchards that spread out over the valley surrounding them. The colors were starting to change in the leaves, which gave the place a lovely festive feeling as bright yellows, oranges, and reds mixed with all shades of green.

Kenma loved early autumn.

This was not only because it meant his birthday was right around the corner, but also because the days were warm with just a hoodie on and the nights were cool, but not _cold._ The cusp of fall wasn’t the death of summer like Kuroo often complained (loudly and repeatedly) about. It was the promise of cozy oversized sweaters, apple pies, and increased amounts of socially-acceptable time spent indoors.

When Kuroo was done taking a leak at the public restrooms, they walked across the street to what appeared to be the only fast-ish food option on the main strip of the quiet mountain oasis. Kuroo ordered the spicy pork curry while Kenma got the three cheese gyudon. It was a quick, cheap, and unmemorable meal, only meant to fill them up and tide them over so that Kuroo didn’t have to try to figure out how to make dinner once they finally made it up to the cabin that night. They still needed to get groceries to last them the weekend and pick up the keys from the camp office before sunset.

“Oi, wait a second,” Kuroo said as he braced a large hand over the passenger door to block the former setter from getting in. It was always blocking with this guy.

“What?” Kenma asked in a curious, slightly anxious tone—one that was not quite as annoyed as he might have usually been. He knew his boyfriend was still on shaky mental ground even if he was acting like he felt better about everything. Kuroo didn’t just let things go. Ever.

“I need a hug,” the bed-headed man said simply. He folded his lanky arms around Kenma’s hoodied shoulders and pulled him close. Burying his nose in the black roots of silk that smelled like manuka honey bourbon shampoo.

Under normal circumstances a public hug would have been grounds for a smack on the arm (minimally). Not because Kenma didn’t want or didn’t _need_ a hug himself, he was just hyperconscious of other people and didn’t want the private details of their love life on public display. It was uncomfortable and usually unnecessary.

But today was hard. Kenma knew that. So he let Kuroo hold him tight to his chest and prayed that no one was watching them. He even hugged him back just the tiniest bit, which was more than he ever normally did in public and a whole lot less than their usual hugs at home.

Despite his much smaller size, Kenma was a bomb-ass pro hugger in Kuroo’s opinion. In the sanctity of their home, the little cat would out stretch his scrawny, yet still semi-muscled arms (often clothed in Kuroo’s old baggy tees or his own gamer tanks) and wrap them full and warm around Kuroo’s broad shoulders. Essentially climbing the lanky blocker to make it up that high as he clung on with a surprising amount of strength. This was true even when Kuroo _wasn’t_ holding up his boyfriend's gym shorted chicken thighs commonly found wrapped around his waist mid-hug. Kuroo supposed the nickname “Koala Kenma” was one of the cuter, truer pet names he had for him, even if he got dirty looks whenever he used it.

There was nothing koala about this hug, but Kuroo didn’t give a shit. It instantly made him feel warmer and more relaxed. Spreading a calm hush through his cells that slowed his breathing and made him so fucking thankful that Kenma was here. So grateful that he loved and knew him well enough to not push him away right now. Kuroo knew he was being a baby about things after the shit that went down earlier, but he couldn’t help it. The hug was a silent “I’m sorry” and a plea to make the pain stop so that he could instead feel the rush of overwhelming love and oxytocin fill his veins again.

“You okay?” Kenma asked quietly into his shoulder.

“Yea, I… I just needed that,” Kuroo said drawing back to look down at perfectly calm, yet concerned golden eyes. They were too much, so he double-dipped and pulled Kenma’s silky black and blonde head to his chest again laying a quick, chaste kiss atop it. He knew he was pushing his luck here, but he couldn’t help himself. Kenma was really fucking cute when he was worried.

“Okay, sorry. Thank you for humoring me. We can go,” the roosterhead said with a hasty, half fake smile that Kenma could read a kilometer away if he ever had to. Kuroo was still clearly struggling inside and unlike Kenma, he didn’t get to sleep for five plus hours of the journey north so there was absolutely some element of exhaustion at play here.

“Do you want me to drive?” Kenma offered before he got in.

“Kenma, you don’t have a license.”

“It can’t be that hard.”

“Is this what Vacation Kenma is like? Breaking the rules and committing misdemeanors?” Kuroo laughed opening the passenger door for him and rolling his dark framed eyes.

“Maybe.”

Kenma didn’t quite remember what it was like to be on vacation. His mom had taken him (and Kuroo for that matter) all over for little trips when they were younger, but that had mostly stopped by the time they got to high school because they had piles of homework and exams to study for. This unfortunately took up a good chunk of time during the weekends and even holiday breaks, which his mom understood but was disappointed by none-the-less. Not to mention the fact that volleyball practice and games had essentially filled any and all time beyond that thanks to Tetsurou Kuroo’s relentless work ethic, ego, and eventually his responsibilities as captain.

Needless to say, Kenma was far overdue.

It was another thirty minutes or so of driving that snaked them along the river, which ran at the bottom of the lush, multi-colored mountain forest. They eventually came around the base between two giants that opened up into an even lower valley. There were a few sets of switchbacks to get down before the road found an even tinier village along the great wide expanse of water spread out before them. The pristine, glassy blue lake was larger than any Kenma had ever seen in his life.

“Whooaaaaa, that’s freakin’ amazing,” Kuroo said laughing a little as he tried to look at the lake but at the same time NOT drive them off the mountain.

“Kuroo, focus. I don’t want to die just yet,” Kenma deadpanned as he clung to his handle friend. Heights were bullshit, but so was going too fast down a sharp, rocky cliff corner.

“Kenma, you’re not going to die today, or tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. There is no dying on this trip, do you hear me?” Kuroo said seriously as he reached blindly for his water bottle and chugged vigorously through the straw cap.

The semi blonde sighed lightly and rolled his eyes even though he was facing the window because he knew Kuroo could _feel_ them. He had an uncanny knack for knowing when Kenma was doing it even if they weren’t in the same room, let alone in the tiny space of their rental car. It was like a sixth sense.

It wasn’t much longer before they were able to stop at the little corner grocery store in the town on the water’s edge to get things for packed lunches and the Kuroo-made breakfasts and dinners they planned on having at the cabin. They selected a good variety of lunch meats, bread, protein bars, iced tea, energy drinks, trail snacks, and other things off of Kuroo's list to grill or cook over the campfire.

"I always feel like trail mix will be the death of me someday..." Kenma said sullenly, glaring at the happy bags of bear-themed nuts, berries, dried fruit, and M&Ms.

"Because of all the nuts?"

"Yea..." Kenma sighed flicking the bag of murderous mix as they carried their full baskets to checkout.

In fact, none of their trail snacks included nuts. None of any of their snacks ever included nuts because Kenma was actually super allergic to most of them. Thankfully, Kuroo wasn't a complete idiot and remembered to pack the epinephrine earlier that morning. He’d also remembered to bring their grocery freezer bag to keep their cold stuff cold and stole a few of the extra ice packs from the lunchbox for good measure.

Once everything was loaded up, they got back in the car and drove further along the lake to the national park campground office. The sun was starting to set low over the mountains as they rode through the shade of the trees which made it feel even later than it really was. Little tents glowed in the twilight as families, couples young and old, and a group of youth campers cooked their dinners outside over open flames. More pampered guests seemed to be eating inside the comfort of their climate controlled RVs.

For having slept off and on the vast majority of the day, Kenma was _still_ tired. So when Kuroo finally pulled up to the main checkin office, Kenma waited in the car. He entirely blamed Kuroo for his fucked up circadian rhythms because he had woken him up at the ass crack of dawn to leave. In reality though, it was partially his own fault for staying up all night streaming. Dedication came at a price.

Not ten minutes later, Kuroo came out whistling and twirling a set of keys around his finger. His other hand clasped around a plastic bag full of who knows what.

“What did you get?” Kenma asked through closed eyes when he opened the door.

“Keys. Directions. A flashlight,” Kuroo listed noncommittally.

Kenma glanced at the bag he had situated at his feet.

“Looks like more than directions and a flashlight.”

“Maybe it is! Maybe it isn’t!” Kuroo chuckled mischievously as he turned the car on again and switched gears to reverse.

They climbed a steep dirt road back up another part of the mountain as the darkness settled in earnest around them. This was concerning at first to Kenma, but apparently not to Kuroo because he switched one of the little knobs up front and suddenly the vehicle had a lot more grip which helped them keep up a steady pace.

Eventually the narrow headlight-flooded dirt road opened up to a cabin that Kenma could only assume was theirs. It was at a dead end, making it feel pretty private and secluded from the rest of the facility. The cabin itself was built right into the side of the mountain, giving it a lower level that seemed to just be for storage, plus an upper level that glowed with solar lights strung out along the railing of the wrap around deck. Underlit wooden steps led up to the landing and the front door. Around the other side of the deck it connected with a semi-flat area of dirt and grass with a fire pit.

Kuroo and Kenma tried to grab as much of their shit as they could and hauled it up the stairs and inside their homebase. The cabin’s main space had a nicely-sized living room with a couch, coffee table, and a few rocking chairs. Adjacent to this was a cute, miniature kitchen. There were two other doors leading to what Kenma guessed were the bedroom and the bathroom. Overall, it was cozy, clean, and appeared to be almost exactly as Kuroo had described.

Except for the fireplace.

Kuroo had never mentioned a fireplace and if he had then he probably would have had far less convincing to do because _Kenma loved fireplaces._ They were blazing warm and perfect for curling up with a game and a blanket then falling asleep to. Not only that, but they were romantic AF. Why didn’t Kuroo mention this? Did he not know there would be one? Regardless, Kenma was silently brimming with excitement for the possibilities this feature brought to their trip. He made a mental note to fuck Kuroo there later if they had time.

It was another fifteen minutes before Kuroo got the rest of the bags inside and all the groceries stowed away in their proper places. Kenma used this time to poop in peace behind the locked bathroom door.

After everything was taken care of, Kuroo collapsed ungracefully onto the couch. Exhausted. Spent. Done beyond done. He slumped down so far his ass wasn't even really on the cushion, lanky legs bent squarely out in front of him and braced upon the floor.

Like a moth drawn to a beacon of light, Kenma padded barefoot over to his frazzled mess of a boyfriend. The gamer laid down horizontally on the couch (the way a sane person would) and rested his head directly on top of Kuroo's toned, yet soft stomach.

The blocker couldn't help but wrap his arms around to cradle him, running long fingers through his even longer shiny black and blonde hair.

“We made it,” Kuroo breathed out deep and slow.

“We did,” Kenma agreed mildly as he thoroughly enjoyed the friction of Kuroo’s nails along his scalp.

“Even if we got effed with by a bunch of fucking bigoted asshats,” the roosterhead said in a lower, more irritated tone that he had not had in hours.

“Kuroo. Don't.” Kenma said, immediately throwing a warning glance up at him.

"You can’t tell me you aren’t still pissed about what happened earlier," Kuroo stated seriously, swiping Kenma's locks up into a faux ponytail directly on top of his head.

"Oh my god. _Kuroo._ Can you just let it go already?" Kenma groaned into the folds of his t-shirt. "They were just stupid dickholes. I'm the one who got roughed up anyway. You don't need to let it keep upsetting you _because I don't give a shit."_

"How can you say that Kenma? Of course you do," Kuroo bit his lip fighting back his emotions a little. Those jerks had gotten the better of him today.

"I only have so many fucks to give in my life. Assholes like that don't deserve them," Kenma mumbled into Kuroo's stomach.

"Yea, your fucks are all mine anyway," Kuroo grinned naughtily at his ridiculous masterpiece that was now one giant top bun of mixed black and mottled blonde silk.

"Different kind of fuck, but okay," Kenma grinned just the tiniest bit before it flitted away. "Seriously, you need to let that shit go. It'll eat you up if you let it."

"I know," Kuroo sighed rearranging the top bun so that it fell loose again. He re-sorted the strands into sections and patterns only he could understand.

Kuroo remembered every single horrible encounter they had ever had with homophobic buttwads over the years. While Kenma was somehow able to separate the cruel behavior from the insecure and ignorant humanity of those people, Kuroo just couldn't. To him they were hateful, disgusting individuals who needed to wake the fuck up because it was the 21st century and _hello,_ the world was only getting _gayer._ They might as well suck it up, build a bridge, and get the hell over it.

"I thought I was really going to hurt them," Kuroo admitted reflectively, running the knuckle of his index finger gently over Kenma's forehead.

"I know," Kenma said softly.

"I wasn't really thinking."

"I know."

"But I would have totally gone to jail for you."

"I know," Kenma sighed in slight exasperation.

"But I guess I'm glad you stopped me because now we're here," Kuroo smiled slyly, his cheeks raising up just the tiniest bit which told Kenma it was genuine and not forced. Honestly, the gamer was just relieved they had made it at all, even if the adventure here left much to be desired.

"I wanna take you hiking tomorrow," Kuroo changed the subject, seeming to finally be ready to get himself out of his funk. "I have a few trails in mind. There's the huge crater lake itself we can explore too."

"Okay," Kenma yawned through closed eyes. Kuroo could tell he was still beat by the sunken skin under his long dark lashes and the deeper breathing he just transitioned to.

"Let's get you to bed babe. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow, okay?" Kuroo chuckled trying to shift his position to sit up properly, but Kenma crinkled into an extremely pouty face as he did so.

"You can't sleep on my stomach dude! Come on," the blocker laughed lightly using his legs to shimmy Kenma's weight and his toned arms to pull him up into a bridal carry position.

"You big baby," Kuroo kissed his nose, which somehow crinkled further at the offensive pet name.

"Not a baby…" Kenma mumbled sleepily irritated, but not physically protesting to being held like… well, a big baby.

"God, you're so fucking cute when you're sleep angry," Kuroo laughed again feeling his heart bubble over with such uncontainable affection for the man he held in his arms. Kenma did that to him. Often.

The blocker used his thick muscled legs to push them up off the couch and carried Kenma into the dark cabin master suite. Awkwardly, he finagled the covers back with one lanky foot before laying Kenma down on the mattress that was surprisingly not as shitty as one would expect for a cabin. Legitimately soft and with enough squish that it would be perfect for melting into at the end of long days on the trails.

He managed to pull off Kenma's stretchy black jogger pants and rather awkwardly got him out of the hoodie so that he was left in only his clingy little striped black and red briefs and a gamer tee.

The soft light from the living room glowed in through the open door. But what particularly struck Kuroo was how intense the sliver of crescent moon was outside their full-pane view of the lake just down in the valley below. It would disappear completely in a few days, which was perfect timing if he wanted to do this right.

This was a special place. Kuroo could feel it.

The tall cat lounged atop the covers beside the small cat, who he had tucked expertly beneath the sheets and the tacky plaid comforter with little black bears on it.

He sorted one stray lock off of Kenma's sleeping face and hoped that the days ahead would be better than the one they just had. He supposed it wouldn't be hard to beat puke and homophobia, and decided that, yes, the rest of the trip was going to fan-fucking-tastic. Kuroo would make sure of it. He would do anything for Kenma, and clearly his boyfriend would do the same considering he'd just rode a nauseous nine hours away to bumfuck nowhere on the vague promises of "fun" and "time together."

Kuroo planted a soft kiss into the upturned underside of Kenma's wrist laying beside his face on the pillow, which was the closest part of him he could reach without moving his big lazy body.

Finally feeling the weight of sleep sink into him, the rooster-headed man stripped off his own shirt and wiggled out of his jeans. Tossing them both carelessly to the floor before folding up into a panther-sized ball to squirm under the fresh cotton covers with his adorable, zonked out snuggle buddy.

He tucked himself close to the impossibly warm body beside him and deeply breathed in the scent that meant home to him no matter where he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As long as there are cuddles at the end of the day, that's what matters right? 
> 
> If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I do realize these are only getting longer, but there's a lot of trip, feels, and flirty stuff to cover so hopefully yall are enjoying the ride. If so, please let me know! 
> 
> Also, do mind the rating from here on out. Things will be getting spicy haha...


	4. The Cabin

"Wakey, wakey sleepy kitttty," Kuroo purred into Kenma's ticklish ear. This sent a fleet of goosebumps straight to the skin on his arms and legs despite being very warm under the thick layers of body-heated bedding.

"Mmmmm," Kenma protested grumpily into the sheets.

Kuroo nibbled his lobe.

 _"Stoppp,"_ Kenma moaned, sleepily trying to find Kuroo's face with his hand and tapping his jaw weakly a few times as punishment once he did. It was too early for him to have enough energy to smack him properly.

"But you like it when I play with your ears," Kuroo grinned toothily before nipping him again and deploying more goosebumps.

 _"Nooo,"_ Kenma whined through the haze of his morning exhaustion as he rolled his face over into the pillow.

This was the second day in a row Kuroo was attempting to wake him up before the crack of dawn with the lure of snuggles or more and he wasn't having it. They were on vacation, right? A time-honored tradition of vacations was sleeping in, was it not? No matter how sweet Kuroo was being with his teasing he needed to fuck right off.

"I know what will wake you up," he heard the tall cat's smooth voice say slyly.

Kenma rolled over completely now, taking half the sheets with him in the process. It was too early for this shit even if he normally enjoyed their weekend ritual of soft touches and lounging in bed until noon.

Okay, so perhaps he was the main perpetrator who stayed in bed that long, but Kuroo would always come back to snuggle and kiss him slowly into consciousness. Kuroo's pre-cuddle time routine more or less consisted of getting up early, feeding the cats, going for a run, getting a shower, checking on his fantasy league if it was in season, cleaning the house, doing some laundry, running errands, starting to prep breakfast, and making coffee all by the time Kenma actually woke from his late night, self-induced coma. Sometimes Kuroo even had a quick morning pickup game with his neighborhood volleyball team if they had enough guys.

All this to say, the blocker was annoyingly productive in the morning.

Kenma's life coach (who he had initially hired to help him figure out his entrepreneurial goals, schedule, and strategy, but who had quickly become his go-to for asking unjudged life and relationship questions) said plenty of couples live on near opposite schedules. She then gave him tips and suggestions for how they could compromise and meet in the middle.

But 5:14 AM was not the fucking middle.

A large warm hand lazily snaked up and around the skin of Kenma's thigh, over his underwear, and stopped on his love handle to roll a thumb into the stiff muscles of his lower back.

Kenma bit his lip to keep from moaning. That motherfucker wasn't giving up, he was _turning_ it up.

The former setter heeled him in the hip.

 _"Kenma,_ you need to _stop_ doing that! One day you're going to crit me in the balls and that's it. Game over. No more fun times with Kuroo and the boys," he said seriously, smacking Kenma's butt through his cute form-fitting striped briefs.

There were very few instances in which the gamer had actually cut it close with his blind kick shot, but it was a good warning none-the-less for Kuroo to knock it off.

Soft dark bedhead melded with the silky black and blonde strands on the pillow.

 _"You seriously don't wanna play?"_ Kuroo whispered through the curtain of his wild hair splayed over his shoulders and face.

"Mmm," Kenma answered in a short grunt.

"That sounds like a yes Kenma."

Kenma said nothing. He was still so, so tired and really wanted to just shut his eyes and wake up once the stupid morning was over.

...But now he was half hard. Fucking Kuroo and his fucking ear whispers and back massages.

The irritated little cat blew the hair up off his face, but it fell right back into his eyes. A hand smoothed over his cheek and brushed it back behind his ear with a few gentle strokes. Skillful fingers then began to carefully massage his scalp, further adding to its frazzled mess, but melting Kenma all the same. Kuroo and his damn fingers would be the death of him.

But he didn't complain or make any more guttural protests. It felt _really_ good. Stupid good. He leaned his head into it slightly, giving the blocker more access to the back of his neck as he scratched.

Kuroo sorted the long strands up off the top of the pillow revealing his boyfriend's pristinely sensitive bare neck. He pressed a kiss against the exposed bone there, which sent tingles down Kenma's spine and through his butt. His knuckles continued to work pressure into sleep-stiff muscles along his t-shirted shoulders.

Kenma breathed out heavily from his nose. He was melting fast. His mind was still hazed with sleep, but his body eased into the fine sensations of pleasure and relaxation that always came with head scratches and neck rubs. Kuroo was winning and he probably knew it.

The blocker moved down his back and started working out more kinks as he traveled across poorly aligned joints. The gamer had terrible posture which they were trying to get corrected, but it wasn't really going all that well. Kuroo often came into Kenma's gaming office to say goodnight as he streamed, rubbing his back and shoulders for a few minutes before kissing his head and going to bed alone. If Kenma was on a break he would tuck Kuroo in and kiss him goodnight in bed, but usually his boyfriend was already zonked out before his 11:00 PM snack time.

A low moan rose up over the mountain of long messy bed hair as a sly grinning face pressed a sloppier kiss into the side of his neck. Biting ever so carefully at the prickled pale skin there.

The traitorous, skillful hand once again traced the lines of Kenma's back structure. Hopping up casually onto the skinny angles of his hip bone, then rerouting south towards the unintended bulge that laid hiding and waiting for him there.

"Oh ho, looks like _someone's_ awake," Kuroo breathed into his ear seductively.

Kenma hated it when his body betrayed him. Sure he loved being touched by Kuroo in practically all forms, but now wasn't the _time_ and his body should _know_ that. Yet, here it was, fucking rock hard against his boyfriend's expert fingers as he methodically palmed him wet and wanting through the fabric.

Kuroo leaned his long nose into the sweet place where Kenma's jaw met his jugular.

 _"Do you want a quickie?"_ He whispered as he continued to massage his length, only pausing to brush featherlight touches over the soft mounds of his balls.

The former setter let out a little huff of annoyance, but turned his body so that he was now laying flat on his back.

Success! Full access granted.

Kuroo wasted no time hopping up out of the bed and springing over to their suitcase where he dug out a travel-sized container of lube. A moment later he returned to the warm comfort of the sheets and planted a kiss on Kenma's shoulder and another on his cheek for good measure. The cap popped off and then came the familiar sound of squirting gel.

One broad hand brought the hem of his gamer tee up beyond his belly button while the other warmed the lube with friction. Kenma's heart fluttered unevenly in anticipation. His brain was still fogged over with sleep hormones, but his body was so, _so_ horny thanks to the morning-loving jackass beside him.

His skimpy boyshort underwear was yanked down bit by bit over his skinny pale thighs, slowly revealing an already glistening wet slit and a swollen flushed length to match. Soft, warm dunes below it sprang free once Kuroo finally worked the pesky fabric down far enough. Then all at once the heat and wet and friction of those impatient trickster's fingers enveloped his nearly painful erection and sent electric sensations ricocheting through him on a cellular level.

Kenma groaned deeply as the urge for more raged selfishly in his core, involuntarily causing him to buck up hard against his boyfriend's slippery, heavenly hand. Shit, it felt good. Too good. Kuroo was far too good at anything he put his mind to thanks to his ultra studious and driven nature. Kenma would be willing to bet his own company on the fact that no one ever considered sweet, precocious Tetsurou Kuroo would eventually be using his smarts for _this_ when he was getting straight A's and winning science fairs.

The blocker slowly worked him up and down, methodically and carefully squeezing him from base to tip under the tented covers. He loved seeing Kenma so worked up and turned on, and he was unnecessarily proud of himself for always being able to do it in record time. (Certainly the boost from morning wood didn't hurt either, but he counted it as a personal victory none-the-less.)

All things considered, Kuroo was a fairly decent multitasker. He continued his work pumping and teasing below as he moved his face down a bit lower to Kenma's skinny ribs. Using his free hand he hiked his boyfriend's gamer tee higher up—giving him access to the pretty pink nipples underneath. He closed his mouth over one of them, folding his skilled tongue flat against it to lazily lick and suck it to attention. It hardened almost instantly against the warm, wet heat. When he was finally satisfied with its level of perkiness he moved onto the next one to do the same.

This always drove Kenma nuts.

The semi blonde didn't think he even had a nipple play kink, but _holy ever-loving shit,_ this was a lot to fucking handle all at once. His smaller body was blazing with overstimulation, raging heat, and terrible desire, and Kuroo needed to _stop_ it or else he—

Suddenly, a white hot ribbon burst through Kuroo's slicked and shiny fingers. He stopped sucking one slightly harassed-looking perky nipple and peered down at his handiwork, mildly surprised and a little amused. Kenma was thick and flushed with color from the blood, pumping the last few stuttering squirts of his pleasure out through his hand and onto his stomach as the uneven breaths made his sweet belly rise and fall.

Kuroo kissed his cheek and nuzzled him.

"I said a quickie, but you were welcome to enjoy it a little longer," Kuroo laughed lightly as he buried his nose further into his boyfriend's cheekbone.

Kenma ignored him, laying there trying to catch his breath as he wondered how he had been suckered into waking up again with something so trivial and low-key as a handjob. Kenma had _priorities_ and _standards_ and _doctor-ordered sleep requirements,_ which Kuroo had been the one to push for in the first place.

"You're such an asshole," Kenma mumbled groggily as he finally pried one golden eye slightly open.

"What was that? You wanted it in the ass? Sorry babe, maybe later!" Kuroo teased, pinching his side and earning himself a more conscious smack on the arm.

"Why can't you just let me sleep like a normal boyfriend?"

"Uh, because I'm not normal—I am the fucking amazing boyfriend who just broke a personal best record for quickest jerkoff ever. Plus, I'm taking you hiking as soon as you get your skinny butt in gear." Kuroo dared to pinch him again, this time in his thigh as he dodged the side swipe that came with it.

"You're right."

"I am?"

"You're definitely not normal."

Kuroo tackled him. Launching his toned body to hover above the soft smaller frame as he kissed long, deep, and loving against Kenma's beautiful, smartass lips.

"You're _feisty_ today," Kuroo grinned naughtily, lapping another smooth wet kiss into him while sucking his lower lip a bit. "I like it. Perfect for knocking out all the trails we need to get to."

Kenma rolled his golden eyes.

"You say that like you have a list."

"Oh ho! I do my dear Kenma! I absolutely do!" Kuroo chirped, rolling off him and hopping halfway out of bed before he looked back over and saw Kenma staring down at himself.

"Hey, can you…" Kenma said awkwardly as he grimaced at the mess on his stomach.

"Oh. Sure." Kuroo leaned back down quickly, but not quick enough to dodge Kenma's palm against his forehead.

_"What?"_

"Don't fucking _lick_ it you dingus," Kenma scowled, casually shoving his roosterhead back.

"Why? It's not like I don't consume enough of your cum to know the calorie count by heart."

Kenma sighed loudly and finally sat up.

"Please just get me a fucking tissue Kuroo..."

"Okay. Sooo are you awake now? Wanna get a shower?" Kuroo asked hopefully as he dug out a tissue from the little travel pack in the front panel of their suitcase.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"To which?" Kuroo asked as he leaned over and laid the tissue atop Kenma's spent anatomy.

"To both."

After another three minutes of intense negotiating (i.e.: cajoling, pleading, begging) and sulking, Kuroo was able to successfully get Kenma out of bed and into the shower with him.

They were technically “already behind schedule” according to the blocker so they needed to expedite the process even though he himself had a pretty decent boner that was impossible for Kenma to ignore. The strange thing was that Kuroo literally tapped his hand away when he went to touch him beneath the hot spray of water and plumes of steam.

“No time for that now babe—we can play later! Can’t be late for our first trail,” Kuroo admonished him as he massaged shampoo into the former setter’s scalp.

Kenma was fairly certain Kuroo had _never_ told him _not_ to touch his dick. Except for maybe that one time he got it stuck somewhere he was still too embarrassed to this day to ever mention again (which was impressive given that hardly anything ever phased Kuroo the Shameless). So even though Kenma didn’t quite understand why a quick jerk in the shower would completely throw off an entire day’s worth of trail time, he respected the fact that Kuroo said no and didn’t tease or argue with him. He was far too tired to do that anyway.

Kuroo scrubbed and rinsed his lanky body quickly, hopping out before Kenma was even partially done presumably so he could go make their lunches and do whatever else he needed to before they headed out for the day. This left Kenma alone in the peaceful mist, where he immediately sat down and tried not to fall back asleep under the hot soothing streams of water.

Five minutes later the bathroom door opened.

"Kenma! Stop falling asleep! We gotta hurry or we'll seriously be late."

The door slammed back shut.

Kenma glared hazily at his toes, holding his knees tight to his chest under the warm spray as he wondered how on earth you could be late for _anything_ on vacation. Part of him thought maybe Kuroo didn't understand how vacations worked, but he kept this to himself and washed up grumbling more out of habit than anything else.

After a particularly frustrating battle with his tangled hair (big thanks to Tetsurou), Kenma trudged out of the bathroom ten minutes later clean, damp, and moody.

The cabin was glowing with low, cozy lamps and dimmed recessed lighting in the little kitchen, which is where Kuroo stood with his lunch prep spread across the entire counter and stove top. He was trail-ready in hiking pants, hoodie, and flat bill sports cap—save for his bare feet.

The gamer sat down at the circular breakfast table by the window overlooking the pitch black starry lake in the valley below. Waiting for him on the table was a steaming hot bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal, a glass of milk, a greek yogurt, and three slices of pre-peeled orange.

Kenma _never_ ate this much food before noon.

"I know what you're thinking, but I need you to try," Kuroo said without looking over his shoulder as he laid slices of lunch meat out over halves of whole grain bread at the counter.

"You want me to puke again, don't you?" Kenma mumbled as he stared stony-faced at the meal that probably would have been just fine for pretty much anyone else, but he just didn't _eat_ this early. Or this much. Or this fast. Ever.

 _"No._ Come on, I'm not kidding. You're going to be wrecked if you don't have something in you before we start. It's just like high school—no lunch, no practice, no excuses."

Leave it to Kuroo to pull a classic Coach Nekomata line out of his ass before the crack of dawn.

"Fine…" Kenma said begrudgingly starting with the milk because at least that could go down easier than the rest of this dense shit.

"You _spiked_ this," Kenma spat and frowned as he stared disdainfully at the tainted drink.

"Well you need _protein_ , okay? Otherwise your legs are going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow."

"I don't know how many kilometers you think I'm good for Kuroo, but you need to take that number and half it. Minimally." Kenma stated without any hint of humor in his voice.

"Even if I did your scrawny chicken legs would be toast without muscle fuel Kenma," Kuroo argued as he stuffed the sandwiches into the lunchbox in his daybag backpack on the floor.

The blocker bent sideways to pick up a loaded plastic bag and padded over to take a seat at the table where he unceremoniously dumped its contents beside Kenma's impossible breakfast. It included the park map, sunscreen, wet wipes, a mini first aid kit, a whistle, binoculars, a pencil, and a scattering of other miscellaneous backpack items.

Kenma glared at the mess. He didn't like the sound of this. He also low-key detested the casual way Kuroo always used the kitchen table as a catchall for his junk. Kuroo _knew_ that so he expected this crap to disappear once they were done eating.

"Give me your foot."

"Why?"

"Because I have a surprise that requires your foot. Give it here," Kuroo said grabbing his leg and propping his bare heel up on the chair ledge between his knees. From the catchall on the table he retrieved a small pair of black ankle socks and proceeded to wiggle one onto Kenma's cold foot.

"You got me socks?"

 _"Special_ socks," Kuroo quipped brightly, letting down one leg and making a grabby hand motion for the other.

Kenma complied with a short huff.

"What's so special about them?"

"They're double layered so you won't get blisters."

"You sure have done your research," Kenma said with one raised eyebrow wondering when Kuroo had ordered these considering he had only agreed to come on this trip a few days ago and they were not the same shoe size by a longshot.

It also begged the question—just how much other shit did Kuroo buy at the last minute anyway? Not that Kenma had any right to bust on him for it because he was also known to buy useless, ultra-specific, or rarely-used things. Mostly in the form of video games that would be waitlisted for months or years before they were actually played, but more recently he had a growing collection of kicks that he rarely wore because he rarely left the house. Kuroo wouldn’t even let him wear them IN the house despite the fact that they were brand new and had never been outside because it was “all kinds of wrong.” So sadly, most were still unworn. They did stay in nicer condition that way though.

Kuroo tugged up the other ankle sock beaming with satisfaction at how well they fit. He tapped Kenma's calf twice signaling he was free to have his limb back.

"Yea, no research really. These are what my dad always had us wear. He forgot to pack them _once_ and royally regretted it," Kuroo recalled, biting the inside of his cheek and grinning devilishly at the memory.

"You hiked your feet bloody, didn't you?"

"We both did!" Kuroo's laughter boomed as he got up and clapped Kenma lightly on the shoulder before he bent over to kiss his still wet hair.

"You seriously don't expect me to eat all this, right?" Kenma switched back to the herculean task that was looming ominously before him.

"If you drink most of the shake, eat the orange slices, and at least _try_ the oatmeal I will help you finish it. We can pack your yogurt for lunch," Kuroo said, swiping the sealed cup for the lunchbox.

"Fine…" Kenma conceded defeat knowing Kuroo had no qualms against putting just about anything in a travel to-go mug, including oatmeal.

As the former setter got to work eating as fast as he could without inducing his gag reflex, Kuroo disappeared into the bathroom only to come out with the hairbrush that Kenma had just defeated minutes prior.

"I already did it Kuroo…" Kenma said side-eyeing him hard as his boyfriend came up behind his chair and began to run the brush back through his long multi-colored tresses.

"I know, but you should really put it up today otherwise it'll be all in your face and you'll miss a lot," the tall cat explained as he swiped up the damp threads into one palm to craft the perfect tight ponytail.

It wasn't a style Kenma really liked or wore often—preferring the loose mess to be tied back in a sloppy bun with bangs, but he wasn't going to argue this point today either. Although he was still a little miffed about the food, he was feeling more generous than usual due to the endorphin boost from the bedroom surprise. He would try to be agreeable. For now.

"There! Beautiful!" Kuroo proclaimed as he finished securing the ponytail with a hair tie. Kenma couldn't see it, but he knew he was about an hour away from hooking some of his bangs out and pretending like it had come loose on its own. He preferred to have _some_ cover after all.

"You're so pretty Kozume-saaaan," Kuroo teased, melting a quick kiss into his cheek which was full of citrus.

"Can you stop… I'm trying to do the first thing you asked me to do…" Kenma felt his gut lurch like it wanted to reject the fruit, but he forced it down. He was NOT doing that today.

"Nope! You're too cute Kenma. You have only yourself to blame," Kuroo chimed as he spread out the park map to survey it and leaned heavily on both forearms as they braced the low table.

It baffled Kenma why he always did this. He rarely took a seat and instead preferred to fuck up his back by leaning on surfaces that weren't meant to be leaned on. Apparently he did it at work too according to Daichi who sometimes went to Kuroo's forensic lab for evidence-related police record stuff. Kenma supposed he didn't have much room to judge though, considering he was dealing major damage to his own body from sitting hunched over at his desk every day.

“We’re going to drive to the trailhead here and then take this route up here,” Kuroo pointed to a thin green line that zig-zagged up in elevation along the mountain on the west side of the lake.

“You know I’m just going to follow you everywhere right…” Kenma stated more than asked.

“Every hiker should know where they’re going Kenma,” the bed-headed fool said evenly. “Speaking of which, we have some safety rules to go over!”

Kuroo stood up straight and held his hand in the air like he was taking a solemn oath. Kenma stared at him as if he had just suggested they take a quick side trip to Mars that afternoon.

"Repeat after me! I will not hike alone."

"...Are you serious?" Kenma asked blankly. He set his second orange slice down because he sensed this conversation was not going to allow him to eat it without gagging.

"I will not hike alone," Kuroo repeated himself, eyes closed with certainty and smug satisfaction plastered all over his face.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake Kuroo..."

 _"I will not hike alone,"_ Kuroo repeated for a third time with even more insistence in his voice, his face dropping into a frown. One dark eye peeped open the tiniest bit.

"Fine, christ. I won't hike alone..."

“I will stay on marked trails!”

“I’m following you, so I’m going wherever you are…”

_“Kenma.”_

Kenma sighed heavily. “Okay. I’ll stay on marked trails.”

“If I get lost I’ll STOP: Stop, think, observe, and plan,” Kuroo continued.

“That one seems like it’s more for you,” Kenma commented dryly. Why the hell was he doing this right now? Weren’t they late or something?

“Humor me please,” the blocker said under his breath as if they had an audience and Kenma was somehow the one messing up the magic trick.

 _“Fine._ I’ll stop if I get lost and figure out how the hell not to be,” Kenma said stuffing the stupid orange slice in his mouth to prevent Kuroo from trying to make him recite any more hiking rules. It seemed very silly and childish even for his goofy boyfriend, and perhaps it was. The semi blonde sensed there was a lot Kuroo was picking up from his dad here.

“Eh, close enough,” Kuroo shrugged. “ALSO, I’m packing you a whistle,” he held it up for emphasis before placing it in the front pouch of Kenma’s backpack. “In case you _do_ actually get lost. I have one too. And there’s these little mini first aid kits in both our bags along with other stuff like snacks and water.”

“I thought we were just sharing yours?” Kenma raised an eyebrow quizzically. That's what they usually did anyway.

Biting his lip as if he were caught red-handed in a devious plot, Kuroo pulled out a gigantic vermillion-colored hiking-grade water bottle similar to his own charcoal gray one. He had stowed it in his boyfriend’s brand new lightweight hiking backpack, both of which he had ordered online a few weeks ago. The ice inside the massive bottle clinked against the insulated metal that would stay cold for at least 48 hours if you left it in for that long, however the blocker expected them to go through more than a few refills each day.

 _“KUROO._ Aren’t those things crazy expensi—”

 _“Kenma._ You _need_ water. You need it here and you need it at home. Don’t worry about the cost—it’s a present for being a good boyfriend and coming with me,” the tall cat snapped trying to shut him down as quickly as possible.

Contrary to popular belief, having more money than he used to did _not_ make Kenma Kozume worry less about it. If anything it had made him hyperconscious sometimes to the point of debilitating obsession, especially with BB Corp. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders to make sure every spend was necessary and every gain was saved or reinvested. He had financial advisors sure, but they couldn’t run his business for him.

“Tell me how much it was,” Kenma demanded. This was not a question.

“Nope.”

“I’ll find it online if you don’t tell me.”

“You’ll never know how much I really paid for it unless you’re stalking my purchases Kenma,” Kuroo said smugly. However, a moment later his face dropped as if he had just then considered that perhaps his tech-savvy boyfriend _was_ stalking his orders. That would be bad on many, many levels.

“I’m not stalking anything,” Kenma said hastily to Kuroo’s immediate visual relief. “But I don’t like you spending your money on me. You know that...”

“Well sometimes you don’t get a choice little kitty,” the dark haired blocker sighed lightly, stuffing the last of the odds and ends into the pack. He knew that these small gifts wouldn’t go over all that well, but he _wanted_ to treat him once in a while so why couldn't he? Kenma deserved every bit of spoiling he could muster, especially now that he’d agreed to something as big and crazy as this national park adventure. The man was giving up the _internet_ for five days after all...

Kenma smushed his hand over his face and inhaled deeply. He couldn't change anything Kuroo had done now, so he reverted back to the more pressing problem he might still have some influence over.

“Kuroo... I tried, but I just can’t do it…”

Kuroo glanced over from his busy hands in the backpack to see Kenma rather pathetically staring through his fingers at the half empty glass and nibbled bits of everything left in front of him.

“It’s okay babe,” he said reassuringly as he zipped up the daybag.

Kenma breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“I’ll put them in to-go mugs.”

—

Half an hour later they were cruising along the winding, starlit mountainside near the water's edge getting closer to the trailhead that they were somehow supposed to find in the dark.

Kenma generally liked the dark, all things considered, but 6:00 AM dark was very different than 1:00 AM dark for some unpinnable reason. It felt quieter and emptier, probably because it was. They didn't see any other cars on the road and very few lights on in the campers and tents they passed on their way out of the campground.

“You know what Kenma,” Kuroo said brightly as he sipped his coffee and scooted his thick-rimmed glasses up a bit. “Trails are like _quests!”_

Kenma tried not to smile at this.

"How so?" The little cat humored him.

"So at any given time you have like, a bunch of quests, right? You can kinda choose whatever you feel like doing and then go off and do it for reward, yea?"

Bless him he was trying so hard to make this relatable.

"Sure, something like that," Kenma agreed, still struggling to keep his composure. Kuroo didn't know jack shit about games other than the few they had played as kids and the multiplayer console ones they busted out when friends were over. It was very cute to hear his interpretation of them, but he knew Kuroo would stop if he started laughing so he bit his tongue hard and covered his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yea, so with trails it's very similar. There are different difficulty ratings, and of course the rewards are all over the place. Some have great scenery or features like lookout points of amazing views, waterfalls, plants, cool animals and whatknot," the cap-wearing, bedhead-flattened version of his boyfriend explained cheerfully. "So you choose your difficulty level and your rewards and you fight to earn them by hiking the trail. The only real difference being that you get the treasure along the way as you go instead of at the very end."

Dear lord, it was hard for Kenma to keep it together. He was normally the prince of poise and composure, but perhaps because of the lack of sleep or the high from getting off far too early—whatever it was he couldn't suppress the tiny chuckle that escaped the hand which he had resorted to biting in order to not lose his shit. Clearly he rolled a Nat 1.

Dark eyes glanced over.

"Are you serious Kenma? You're laughing. You're totally laughing at me right now," Kuroo said frowning so that his lips pressed tight into a pout that prevented him from taking another sip. He set his travel mug in the cup holder and huffed, slightly offended.

"No, I'm not. Go on Kuroo, I'm listening," the former setter said as seriously as he could through his now wide and uncontainable grin. At least he stopped his snickering. Mostly.

"You're a liar and a bad one at that Kenma," the blocker said hotly.

"Come on," Kenma said with teasing affection. "Trails are like quests, but the rewards and effort are spread throughout. Go on," he encouraged him, reaching over and stroking his boyfriend's knee a little with playful fingers as he drove.

"Kenma, _DON'T._ I already let the boys down with one cock block this morning, I don't need another one. You're confusing them," Kuroo huffed again. Reflective golden eyes did notice a faint heat fanned across his angular face in the dim interior glow of the car.

"So why did you turn me down then?"

"Because we're _late._ I already told you," the tall cat steamed.

"I think your vacation priorities are very different from the ones at home," Kenma mused. Normally Kuroo would practically skip to the shower if he knew he was about to get some.

"My priorities?" Kuroo squinted his eyes behind his black frames and frowned even deeper at this. "Oh shit, that was the turn! Goddammit."

The Crosstrek was easily able to maneuver a three-point turn on the empty lakeside road to double back to the tiny parking lot that was equally empty at this hour.

It felt like it was freezing outside compared to the comfort of their warm, seat-heated rental. Kenma immediately put both his jacket and sweater hoods up for protection from the breeze off the water. This ponytail was bullshit. How was his neck supposed to stay warm?

As if he could read his thoughts, Kuroo tossed a balled something his way which surprisingly Kenma caught. Maybe his volleyball reflexes were still there?

"Put it on. You'll probably take it off on the way back down, but at least you won't freeze until then," the dark haired blocker sniffed as he wrapped his own scarf around his neck and pulled up his hoods over his hat.

Kenma wrapped the scarf around his neck and it did help. He was becoming more and more impressed with Kuroo's forethought and planning on such short notice. Had he always been this conscientious? Normally he kind of flew by the seat of his pants and let the chips fall where they may.

"Come on babe," Kuroo said softly, holding out a broad chilled hand to him. Kenma took it and immediately reached up to press a warm kiss against his boyfriend's wind-frosted cheek.

"I accept this quest."

Dark eyes met golden ones shining in the deep barely blue glow of the morning sky’s first sleepy appearance.

Kuroo kissed him back, folding his lips over the soft ones that felt so right and perfect against his own.

"Seems like your priorities have changed too," the tall cat said quietly, leaning his forehead down over his lover's face and messing up the angle of his hat a bit.

"What do you mean?"

Kuroo pulled him closer with both lanky jacket-covered arms and kissed him again lapping a little tongue in this time for emphasis.

Kenma didn't stop him, but he did bite Kuroo's lower lip in retaliation.

"There's no one here so it doesn't matter," the former setter explained through a hot breath that he wished wasn't quite as fast as it was.

"Is that the rule? PDA is fine if no one is actually around to see it?" Kuroo clarified, grinning and swinging Kenma's body slightly in his arms.

"Sure."

"Oooohh, you're going to regret that one Kozume. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it's coming," Kuroo laughed, breaking apart from their pseudo hug and pulling his boyfriend's hand along towards the trail. "Let's get going! We don't want to miss anything."

Kenma followed and squeezed Kuroo's hand with his own much smaller one. He was warming up already. Kuroo did that to him.

The trail itself was rather flat to start, winding through the forest before it eventually turned into a slight incline and then a legit incline. Apparently they were going up the side of the mountain, but it was hard to tell other than the slight burn in Kenma's calves that he knew he shouldn't be feeling yet. Kuroo seemed happily content leading them up the dirt pathway that eventually transitioned to more rocky dust along the cliffside rather than the dew wet soil of the woods. The air was damp and filled with the scent of pine and so many other nameless trees. A bird was singing somewhere off in the distance.

A half an hour in Kenma was sucking more air than he thought he should be and paused to rest for a minute.

"You okay babe?" Kuroo asked gently as he watched Kenma nod and palm off a bit of sweat, which mussed some of his bangs out of formation. The blocker lowered his own hood and then did the same for his travel buddy.

"Thanks. Yea, I'm fine. Just needed a sec," Kenma panted, hiking up his lightweight backpack and straightening his back.

"We can break whenever you need to, you just gotta tell me." Kuroo's hand squeezed and brushed a thumb against the other.

"It's all good. Let's keep going, we're going to be _late,_ " Kenma grinned slightly pulling them up the trail.

At this Kuroo's face brightened and smiled that wide, full-faced signature grin of his.

It was another twenty minutes and shades of dawn later that Kuroo abruptly yanked them to a halt.

"Here! Here is good," he said quickly. He slung his pack off and sat down on a rather large flat-ish boulder.

"Good for what?" Kenma asked, feeling a little confused. There was still more trail left ahead.

"Good for what we came for," Kuroo said mysteriously with outstretched arms.

Kenma slinked out of his backpack which he laid next to Kuroo's on the lumpier side of the rock, and sat down on his boyfriend's lap since that appeared to be what he wanted. He gazed deeply into the dark mysterious eyes that were glittering with anticipation.

"Kenma, I wanted to show you something I'm pretty sure you've never seen before," he began continuing to stroke his thumb over the back of his hand. "Even your mom wasn't sure if you had or not."

"My mom?"

Had Kuroo told her about the trip? Fuck, he would be in deep shit for not telling her about it himself beforehand. His mom craved any details about their life together now that they had both moved out on their own.

"Kenma, look," Kuroo breathed, his voice lifting with excitement as he stared off in the distance.

And when Kenma turned, all at once he understood the insanely early wake up sex, the ponytail, and the crazy rush to get here.

Out over the valley below them was a stunning view of the massive lake and the autumn-colored mountains in the distance where just beyond them the sun was slowly peeking up through the horizon casting the earth in a warm glow.

It was breathtaking.

"I wanted you to see the sunrise," Kuroo said reverently, shaking his boyfriend a little in his lap as his arms squeezed him tighter.

"Oh… wow."

Kenma didn't know what to say. His golden eyes just watched the slow return of the distant star that literally everything on this planet owed their lives to. It was strange and amazing and made him feel so small, yet so incredibly lucky at the same time.

For a long while, he couldn't look away and Kuroo didn't ask him to.

They sat together atop that boulder on the little cliff trail until the sun had cleared the mountaintops completely as it scattered hues of pink, orange, blue, and purple into the clouds above them.

Kuroo kissed his cheek.

"Did you like it?"

"I did," Kenma admitted finally turning to him. This time he didn't suppress his smile.

"Was it a good reward?" Kuroo asked wryly.

"It certainly wasn't a bad one," the former setter said coyly as he went in for a soft nuzzle against his boyfriend's jaw and cozy scarf.

"Man, you are one tough nut to crack Kenma."

"You do get bonus XP for having kept it a surprise so well. I'm kind of amazed you didn't let it slip."

"Here we go again with the big mouth jokes. Go on. Let me have it," Kuroo said pretending to be irritated.

"I like your big mouth Kuroo," Kenma said dangerously lowering his tone.

"Oh yea?" Kuroo raised an eyebrow. "Fuck, Kenma stop getting me so hot and bothered, we've barely even begun all the things I had planned today."

"I hope your mouth is part of those plans," Kenma smiled teasingly and kissed him long and loving as a silent thank you for the beauty they had just witnessed.

"It wouldn't be a Tetsurou Kuroo plan if it wasn't," the blocker grinned against him as he wondered how on earth he had been so fortunate to know and love this sweet soul who chose him over and over, time after time.

He hoped, given the chance, Kenma would choose him again this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this one got out of hand. But that's what these guys do, isn't it? There was a lot to unpack here, but I couldn't find in my heart to cut any of it so hopefully you all enjoyed haha...
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it drop a comment or a kudos my way and feel that sweet, sweet karma return to you in the form of more silly Kuroken goodness.


	5. The Fire

"Awwww, we should have gotten beers last night! What kind of campfire night doesn't have beer?" Kuroo groaned as he hitched his backpack up and led them out of the forested area on their way back from doing the loop trail around the entire lake. It had looked like a fairly easy one to do, which it was, but it also took five and half long hours to complete. Plus breaks to pee, eat, and rest. On top of finishing out the early morning mountain trail...

So needless to say, Kenma was pretty beat.

"I don't think alcohol is required to enjoy campfires Kuroo," the gamer quipped thoughtfully. He was holding up mostly. Kinda.

"Pshh, guess not…"

"But we could go get some..."

_"Really?"_

Kenma shrugged.

"Why not? That little store is still open, isn't it?"

"I don't think it is for much longer…"

Kenma sighed dramatically. He supposed if this was what he spent the last of his dying energy on it would be worth it.

"I guess we'll have to run then."

"Are you _serious?"_ Kuroo said, grinning like a sly fox. "Vacation Kenma is balls to the wall! I like it!" His laughter echoed through the canopy of bright orange and red leaves.

"Come on, let's go!" Kuroo shouted, taking his hand and splitting into a sprint.

This small gesture sparked a series of precious memories Kenma had honestly forgotten about over time. When they were little kids, Kuroo would take his hand like this all the time and shoot off running like the world depended on the success of their mission. And now he supposed to some extent the world did depend on it. Kuroo was still his world.

They made it to the general store at the end of the dirt trail which led through the campground. They were completely out of breath, but luckily with twenty minutes still to spare.

“Hey Kuroo.”

“Hey Kenma,” Kuroo replied absent-mindedly, pausing his hand on a refrigerator door as he scanned his options for booze.

"You should… pick me out something I'll like," Kenma said eyeing the rows of colored bottles and cans that Kuroo had just started to assess.

 _"Kenma,_ you're gonna have a drink with me?" Kuroo looked up at him in awe.

The former setter shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because you generally detest alcohol in all forms?" Kuroo offered with his mouth still hanging open slightly.

Kenma shrugged again.

"Don't pick something gross then."

“Oh hohoho! Yes, sir!”

Kuroo got to work skimming the bottles of booze beyond the cool panes of glass. Stopping every now and then to open a door, select something that looked good enough to try, and then placing it in his basket. Meanwhile, Kenma went to the snack aisle and proceeded to clear them out of every flavor of Jagariko potato sticks.

"You really like those things, huh?" Kuroo commented as they waited behind the other last minute customer at checkout.

"They're addictive."

 _"You're_ addictive."

"Please don't," Kenma said feeling the beginnings of a flush flutter to his cheeks.

"Okay, fine."

Kuroo knew Kenma felt uncomfortable with most public displays of affection (at least the ones that were legitimately in front of other people), and he supposed after yesterday's fiasco at the konbini that wasn't unwarranted. But the official excuse from Kenma was that he was simply embarrassed. He didn't really like having attention shoved upon him, which always happened if Kuroo tried to get too flirty or handsy out where others could see them. Not that he couldn't handle other types of public spotlight. Volleyball for one had been fine because it was a _team_ sport. Attention was split between all twelve active players on the court plus the standbys, coaches, and refs.

God, Kuroo missed playing with him.

The local group was fine for weekend pickup games and all, but playing with Kenma had been some of the best memories of his life. And he was getting _old,_ there were a lot more memories by comparison now.

"Oh, we are gonna need _these!"_ Kuroo said enthusiastically, stuffing two squishy bags of marshmallows into his basket from the checkout display next to them.

"Or maybe…?" Kenma bent down to reach the bottom rack and came up with a bag of marshmallows that were all decorated with sickeningly cute faces of little cats on them. They even had miniature shaped ears and paws.

Kuroo's eyes blew wide.

"Kenma, you beautiful genius!" He said throwing back the plain marshmallows and bending down to grab two more bags of the kitty-shaped versions.

"You do know we're subjecting them to a gruesome death by fire tonight, right?" Kenma smirked as they loaded the counter with their haul of beer and snacks.

"No one can ask for more than a gruesomely adorable death Kenma. I know that's how _I_ wanna go," Kuroo mused casually.

The freckle-faced teenage cashier glanced up at the two of them curiously, but said nothing as she scanned the items and placed them in plastic bags.

—

As it turned out, the cat marshmallows had been an excellent idea.

They melted and contorted in many adorably disgusting ways much to their anticipated and devilish delight. They had finished their dinner of Kuroo-grilled fish and veggies out on the deck and then transitioned to the adjoining campfire pit on the mountainside itself. Kuroo loved blissful moments like this together with Kenma. He watched him devour a poor, delicious marshmallow cat and then the bed-headed fool tried to wipe the sticky substance off his cheek only to get it all over his fingers creating an even bigger mess.

He hadn't heard Kenma laugh like that in a very long time.

After a thorough session of torturing their dessert, they settled down with beers in the cabin's loaner fold out camp chairs beside the fire. Enjoying the mosquito-less early autumn twilight and the warm, flaming embers between them.

“God, you look so hot right now I could blow you,” Kuroo said taking a sip and pointing his beer in Kenma's direction.

“Why, because I’m drinking with you?” Kenma said with a golden eye roll.

 _“Yes,”_ Kuroo breathed. His dark eyes lusted up and down Kenma in the change of clothes he'd swapped into, which included cargo shorts, a hoodie, and sandals. He sat slouched in the camping chair across from Kuroo as the fire crackled between them softly, casting everything in a low warm glow. The night chorus of crickets sang in the sleepy forest around them.

“Yep. This is happening,” Kuroo said casually, taking a bigger swig from the brown bottle before he set the well-designed craft beer down in the cup holder of his camp chair.

“What is?” Kenma asked curiously as his boyfriend got up and gently took the alcoholic beverage from his hand.

“I’m going to blow you.”

 _“WHAT?”_ Kenma said, his golden eyes frantically looking around as if there could be anyone else in the dark woods surrounding them.

The lanky blocker dropped to his knees in the dirt and hooked his large thumbs into the pockets of Kenma’s cargo shorts as he pressed a deep, lustful kiss to his lips. Tongue unsuccessfully searching for a way in.

 _“Mmph!”_ Kenma protested against him, his hands coming up to shove hard and rather uselessly against Kuroo's broad chest.

Kuroo immediately backed off, curious and unsure of what was wrong. He leaned backwards to peer into wide eyes quizzically.

“What? You don’t want to?” Kuroo asked cocking his roosterhead to the side confused. He wasn't offended, just genuinely surprised more than anything. Not that anyone else would ever know this, but Kenma was not the kind of guy to pass up a good BJ.

 _“We’re outside,”_ Kenma breathed leering at him as if he had lost his goddamn mind.

 _"I know right?"_ Kuroo said suggestively, grinning like a kid who was about to get away with something naughty. The hot desire and electric tinglings of giddy excitement were very clearly written all over his ornery face.

 _"Kuroo,"_ Kenma said simply, knowing damn well that the blocker knew what he was thinking without him having to say it.

“So what? There’s nobody here,” the tall cat looked around. “Do you see anyone else here? If you do, that’s concerning.”

“Shut UP, you know what I mean. Anybody could see us...”

“Who the hell would be all the way up here by our cabin Kenma?” Kuroo said, now feeling a little frustrated. Couldn’t he just chill for once? “We’re at a dead end in the middle of fucking nowhere up on a mountain. Who on earth would find us here?”

“Your dad for starters,” Kenma said sourly.

“Oh for chrissakes Kenma. He is NOT going to just show up out of the blue,” Kuroo said flatly in irritation.

Kenma's heart was racing. Of course he _wanted_ and _planned_ on having plenty of sex while they had time together, but _outside?_ What was the point? They had an entire cabin to fuck their way around if they wanted to, but no, Kuroo wanted to do it out in the open where anybody or any _thing_ could just walk up, see them, and then watch Kenma die from pure mortification.

"It freaks me out, okay?" Kenma mumbled, biting his lip a little bit which he rarely did unless he was nervous. He avoided the dark gray eyes which softened considerably at this.

Kuroo sighed lightly, stretching his lanky arms around Kenma's slumped shoulders pulling him into an understanding, if not slightly awkward hug given the angle. He leaned his dark bedhead on one shoulder, brushing his long nose against the hollow of his impossibly soft neck. He was so warm.

"Okay."

He stroked a thumb across the smaller man's shoulder blade and pressed a gentle kiss into the soft skin that gulped underneath him.

"But…"

Kuroo's ears pricked up.

"Uh, I dunno… maybe if we…"

The blocker could feel the heat rising from Kenma's face which had very little to do with the campfire beside them.

Kenma sighed.

"I just don't want to take much off…" The gamer mumbled as his face flushed shades of scarlet from self-imposed embarrassment and probably alcohol. He didn't normally drink, usually preferring to sit out of get togethers that revolved around booze, or when he was dragged along he volunteered himself as shepherd guardian of the drunkards.

All this to say, Kenma was absolutely a lightweight when it came to drinking and he definitely had a boner under his shorts.

"You don't have to take anything off," Kuroo said reassuringly into his neck, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice because he _was_ sincere and he wanted Kenma to know that.

"Okay, well…"

Kenma shifted his lower half in the camp chair beneath Kuroo, who loosened his grip around his shoulders but didn't let go. The blocker leaned back to look him in the eyes, but Kenma was staring off into the fire rather distantly.

"Hey…" Kuroo said softly, reaching a hand up to brush some of his multi-colored bangs behind one ear. "Look at me Kenma."

And although he didn't really want to, the former setter took a slightly shaky breath in and connected gold with gray.

"Seriously, we don't have to do it out here. I just want you to be comfortable," Kuroo said with such honesty it broke Kenma's heart. Kuroo was constantly breaking his heart.

"You know I'd blow you anywhere, anytime, but I want you to _enjoy_ it so let's just go inside and—"

Unexpectedly, Kenma reached a hand up to Kuroo's face. Stroking his fingers along the bold lines of his cheek as they glided past into the thick, wild black tresses, wrapping themselves carefully around the back of his head.

And then he pulled down hard.

Kuroo's knees buckled, but regained their balance as he mentally recovered from the hilarious shock of Kenma's sudden insistence. The blocker flashed a broad grin up to his boyfriend, who was leaning farther back in the camp chair with closed eyes. The situation in his cargo shorts seemed to have gotten worse.

Kenma's hand was still pulling him down to his crotch and Kuroo wasn't resisting. On the contrary, he secretly loved it when Kenma dominated him through small gestures like this. It sent chills down his spine on through his ass and then straight to his groin. A forceful Kenma was a _hot_ Kenma.

With that, Kuroo didn't waste anymore time. His fingers fumbled for the button on the cargo shorts, snagging a bit of his skin accidentally on the sharp zipper as he too quickly tried to unzip it.

God, Kenma was raging under here, he could feel it already. He couldn't believe his dumb luck and thanked the gods, the demons, the craft beer manufacturers— _whoever was responsible_ for Kenma's loosened grip on PDA. This was the kind of unprecedented risk-taking he was hoping he might get out of his boyfriend once he was yanked from the comfortable surroundings of home and routine. Tokyo Kenma would have glared at him and shut this shit down _real_ quick, but Adventure Kenma was down to fuck!

It was hard to stop smiling at the victory, but Kuroo forced himself to because he had very important work to do.

Kuroo folded back the opening in the shorts to find that there was a rather significant blooming dark wet spot on the blue briefs below. His ego and anticipation pulsed because it meant that Kenma really wasn't bullshitting him or trying to be all self-sacrificial. He wanted it _bad_ and the rock hard bulge perking up below the fabric moments away from being freed only further proved his hypothesis.

"God, you're so beautiful," Kuroo breathed reverently as he bent down further. He lifted Kenma's sweater and t-shirt up just the tiniest bit so that he could place soft little kitten kisses below his belly button and along the top rim of his underwear.

Kenma squeezed the back of his bedhead.

"Patience little kitty, patience," Kuroo crooned darkly. He sunk a quick nip in which made Kenma buck.

"Or not. You're pretty wound up, aren't you?" The tall cat chuckled lovingly.

Kenma made an irritated sound with his throat and dug his fingernails into Kuroo's scalp.

"Whoa, watch the claws Kenma," Kuroo warned teasingly. Kenma did relax his desperate fingers a little. The blocker took his role as antagonizer, pleasurer, and cock sucker very seriously. He nearly always did his due diligence and teased Kenma up until his body was practically begging to be fucked (standard) or literally begging to be fucked (a rarer occurrence).

Kenma whined, low and needy and irritated.

That counted as verbal begging, right? Score one more point for Tetsurou's ego.

He moved his mouth to hover over the throbbing dick below him, ghosting his lips lightly over it through the fabric. Then mouthing it here and there earnestly with small amounts of pressure. He kissed it and Kenma full body shivered.

"Kuroo, please…"

At these words, Kuroo nearly lost his mind. That was _real_ verbal begging no matter how you sliced it. Holy ever loving shit, this trip was doing wonders for their relationship! While he knew Kenma enjoyed sex probably just as much as he did, he still got shy about it all sometimes especially if they weren't at home. He certainly wasn't an overly verbal sort of person in general, so to Kuroo hearing those words was as rare and captivating as hearing the celestial voice of a god.

In one swift motion, two thumbs jammed down the navy briefs, finally releasing the kraken to the cool autumn night air. He was flushed deeply with color from the blood that pulsed through him base to tip making him stand up at attention atop his chilled balls. It leaned up stiffly against the soft pale roundness of his stomach. Head dripping with a sticky connected stream of glistening pre-cum that snapped as Kuroo carefully enveloped his tongue around it and licked him open.

Kenma involuntarily bucked.

 _"Sorry…"_ He said apologetically through a low, already wrecked voice that nearly killed Kuroo on the spot. Ohhhhh, he needed to hear more of that voice.

"You're good babe," Kuroo spread a few kisses along his length. "I don't mind. You know I can take it."

The bed-headed man then got down to business working a series of sloppy, wet kisses up and down Kenma's erection causing the semi blonde to pant and gasp when he hit particularly sensitive spots. Kuroo felt like he might accidentally cream himself if Kenma kept up this auditory onslaught of ego-boosting praise.

His tongue expertly lolled the head of his boyfriend's cock up into his mouth, slowly swallowing him bit by bit and using gentle pressure to squeeze and release around him. Working his way up Kenma with agonizing precision and patience. His tongue flitted playfully over his slit again before disappearing down the rest of him.

Kenma was losing his fucking mind.

He was trying so hard not to fuck up into Kuroo's mouth, but he could feel his resolve and facilities shattering as his boyfriend sucked him into oblivion. He couldn't help the noises that kept escaping his mouth and right now he didn't give a damn. About anything really. All he could think of was how hot and wet and amazing Kuroo felt on him contrasted by how much he didn't want to hurt him by accidentally deep throating or something. The blocker had let him do it a few times and said it was fine, acting like it was no big deal. He was a tough guy, he could take it. But Kenma knew he couldn't. He knew that Kuroo would disappear into the bathroom for a while after and that he avoided solid foods like he was too sore to handle them.

And Kenma didn't want that. So he kept himself in check and tried desperately to fight his urges while also enjoying how incredible Kuroo's smartass tongue felt all over him.

The heat was building inside the pro gamer as he lost himself and unintentionally bucked again, which Kuroo knew Kenma would be feeling guilty about but actually blamed himself for. This slow shit was tantalizing, but he needed to learn how to read the room and just give him the damn friction he was craving.

So he did just that.

He worked his mouth up and down Kenma's length methodically applying even pressure while he sucked and pressed his tongue around him. This caused Kenma to gasp and whimper and tremble slightly below him. He was so close, Kuroo could feel him coming apart quickly now. His jaw kept at it, rocking back and forth with rigor until he could feel the frantic pulse of the shaft inside him tense up and flood with pleasure. Kenma came hard in him, cum bursting over his tongue as he dutifully sucked him through the aftershocks of ecstasy. His cock pumping out smaller bursts of seed in immediate succession. Kuroo swallowed it all down easily, then gently let up as Kenma came down from his high panting wildly.

When he finally looked up at Kenma, all he could see was bliss.

Kuroo carefully pulled off him, letting his spent dick lull down atop his chilled by night air balls. He really shouldn't have been so neglectful to them, they deserved attention too. So he kissed each one softly and then placed another quick kiss on Kenma's exhausted penis before moving up to his lips and pressing a fond kiss there too.

Kenma looked like he'd seen some shit. Still panting for breath, sweat coating his face and clinging to the baby fine hairs near his ears and hairline. His eyes were closed, but his face was pinched slightly into the telltale grimace that Kuroo knew was his coming down face. He loved that face.

"You alright?" Kuroo asked in a more hoarse voice than he thought he should have. He cleared his throat and wished he had his hiking water bottle nearby.

Kenma nodded still grimacing with his eyes closed, but he reached a blind hand out to find Kuroo who took it in his own and kissed it too.

"That was fun, huh?" Kuroo chuckled lightly, shifting his knees in the dirt and realizing then that they were not only filthy, but also pressed in by tiny rocks that had left little cuts in his skin. He stood up brushing them off with his free hand.

Kenma opened his eyes.

"Holy shit, Kuroo you're bleeding."

In Kenma's hand he turned over Kuroo's own to reveal a cut on his finger that had smeared blood over both of them.

"Fuck, what the hell…" Kuroo said pulling his hand back and examining it in earnest.

"How did you even manage that?" Kenma said, tucking himself back into his briefs.

"How should I know? All I was doing was—"

Then he heard the zipper.

"Ah."

"Ah, what?"

"Your fly must have gotten me."

"What? That's stupid."

"Yea it is. We're gonna burn those shorts Kenma, I don't want them anywhere near your crown jewels."

"Please don't give my junk stupid nicknames."

"Okay, I don't want them near your penis and testicles."

"Why do you always have to be so crude all the time?" Kenma glared trying to stand up.

"Okay, _male anatomy_ then. Happy?"

"Let's just go clean you up," Kenma sighed tiredly, walking onto the deck to head back inside.

Kuroo stared after him as his boyfriend moved away from the campfire glow into the solar underlit shades along the wood railings.

"Kuroo, come on," Kenma called from the front door around the corner. "Hurry up. Don't you want to be next?"

A huge shit-eating grin spread across his face as he bolted towards the sound of the man who knew and loved him so well.

—

"Will you hold still? God, you're like a two year old Kuroo…"

"I am _not._ Just hurry up and do it Kenma," the blocker said in a higher-pitched and anxious tone that was so unusual coming from him.

But Kenma knew that as much as Kuroo relished his confident, slightly bad boy image with others—it was a total facade. Kuroo was a baby when it came to certain things, anticipated pain being one of them. This made him a real pussy when it came to getting shots, blood tests, or enduring hydrogen peroxide on cuts like he was trying to do right now.

_"Fucking fuck!"_

"Dammit Kuroo, I said hold still," Kenma breathed as he tried to aim the clear, bubbling liquid over his boyfriend's cut in the bathroom sink.

The blocker whined drawn out and dramatic as he dropped his fluffy black bedhead to the countertop and pretended to cry.

He could take unexpected, snap moments of pain like a champ making sports injuries far more tolerable than even this stupid little finger cut. Adrenaline and hormones were likely the source of that peculiarity, but right now he didn't have those because any of the happy ego juices he had just scored by giving some grade-A head immediately evaporated when Kenma told him to bend over the sink as he got the evil brown travel-sized disinfectant from their suitcase. Why the fuck did he bring that again? Oh, because he figured _Kenma_ might get cuts, not _himself._

Despite absolutely loathing the process, Kuroo knew he had to suck it up so he bit his lip hard as the sting worked its way through his finger.

"Okay, I think it's pretty much done," Kenma said evenly as he yanked some toilet paper off the roll and wiped off the excess foam. He deftly wrapped a finger bandage over the zipper wound and wondered if perhaps he really should ditch these cargo shorts because if they did this much to Kuroo's hand he was kind of nervous to even take a leak in a public bathroom for fear of too hastily zipping up.

"Hey," the former setter said softly, reaching a few fingers into the wilds of his boyfriend's bedhead. His forehead was still on the countertop while he bent over in his classic please-fuck-up-my-spine position. "Kuroo… it's done. You're fine…"

"Yea, I know," the tall cat said with a still slightly high-pitched voice which actually cracked.

Kenma stared at the back of his head. He knew it wasn't hurting him anymore, but he tended to act like a bruised peach after these sorts of things. The big baby probably just needed to be babied.

"Kurooooo," Kenma cooed softly in his ear as he ran his fingers through his hair and down his neck. The skin underneath prickled. He traced them over his t-shirted back until they reached his jeans, where they tugged on the belt loop insistently.

"Off."

Kuroo opened his eyes to the countertop and his arm below and saw goosebumps spread over himself. It _always_ turned him on when Kenma got bossy with him. Not that he necessarily dominated him or anything weird like that, but he liked being pushed around a little bit because there was something intangibly hot about his boyfriend taking charge and _owning_ it.

"Now."

Holy fuck, it was as simple as that. Two words and Kenma won the quickest to inflict a boner of the night award. Maybe he was too drunk or too tired or maybe Kenma was simply that skilled having known and fucked him for the better part of the past ten years. Whatever it was, he silently gave mad props to his boyfriend and finally leaned up.

"I'm bad with zippers."

As expected, he received a trademark scowl and then a tug at his shirt as if to say _"since you're so useless take this off instead."_

Kuroo complied, peeling out of the tee to reveal his still fairly impressively ripped chest and abs. Those goldens were eye-fucking him up and down carefully and he was here for it. Leaning his groin closer to Kenma as the former setter caved with a "tsk" and undid his shorts. They fell to his ankles and he stepped out of them.

Kenma flicked his long bangs back with a tiny, smug grin beginning to work its way across his lips. He knew how to get Kuroo worked up, that much was glaringly obvious.

"Turn the water on."

Kuroo blinked thinking at first he meant the sink, but then realized he meant the shower. Of course he meant the shower, his knees were still filthy from before. He knew Kenma was not a germaphobe, but he'd be damned before he ever let Kuroo get into their bed without washing off whatever grossness he came home with on any given day.

The calm, rushing spray from the showerhead filled their ears as if it were a sudden late summer storm. They waited for it to warm up.

"These too," Kenma poked his butt through his form-fitting gray briefs.

Kuroo couldn't help smiling. As sexy as he was when he was being authoritative, he was also incredibly blunt and cute and _so_ kissable.

"Are you getting in with me?" The blocker asked low and smooth as he moved his arms to snake around his boyfriend's hoodied shoulders.

"Only if you take these off," the small cat tugged on the brim of his underwear again. His boner was clearly not going to resolve itself.

Kuroo complied again, thumbing down his briefs in one swift motion and releasing his eager, flushed erection. Cat-like eyes took him in unabashedly and that little telltale grin appeared.

Kenma leaned up and kissed him slow and tantalizing with careful, precise laps of his open lips and tongue. Kuroo didn't think it was possible, but if it were then he absolutely got harder at this. He needed this fuck like he needed air.

"Get in."

Not being one to argue (at least in _these_ sort of situations) Kuroo hopped into the shower, dick bobbing up and down with anticipation and loneliness. He wasn't going to last long like this, no matter how good Kenma was at stringing him along. Neither of them were very good at lasting really, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, right? They loved each other and got off super easy because of it. Maybe what they lacked in endurance they made up for in quality and quantity. He was fairly certain the most they had ever fooled around in one day was five times and this was getting close, but they definitely wouldn't be breaking that record tonight.

"Kenma, did you just ghost me?" Kuroo asked hurriedly as he scrubbed himself down lightning fast so he could be clean before they got dirty.

The curtain drew back and his smaller, naked companion eyed him hard.

"You're so impatient."

With that, Kenma stepped into the bath and mist, carefully placing his toes alongside his boyfriend's long, wet legs. He rested his hands on Kuroo's hip bones next to the similarly long, wet length that was poking him in the thigh.

The small cat once again leaned up to continue his teasing kisses, pressing his soft pale body up against the toned, tan muscles at his counterpart's core. The hot spray drenched them, sending droplets down their skin as they kissed and breathed and moved their bodies to fit together in the perfect interlocked position. This involved Kuroo wrapping his sculpted arms around Kenma, hands set to his bare waist with fingertips pressing in to pull him closer. Likewise, Kenma found his fingers traveling along Kuroo's impressively thick thighs and wandering around to rest playfully on the swell of his butt, flicking teasing touches down near his entrance.

Kuroo tried not to gulp into Kenma's mouth, but he failed.

The persistent lips and tongue pulled back. Kuroo opened his eyes.

"What's wrong?" The former setter asked. Those sweet concerned eyes were back again. God, they killed him every time.

"I know you've gotta be tired Kenma," he breathed, hating himself a little for not being more subtle with his hesitation. He wanted to, like _real bad_ wanted to, but he also knew that this probably wouldn't be as much fun for his boyfriend considering he had already come once earlier that morning and just ten minutes ago outside.

Kenma pinched his ass hard.

_"OW!"_

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way Kuroo," his feisty little lover said cooly, but not without a subtle sort of affection that was unique to him. The kind of affection that conveyed annoyance and endearment at the same time.

"Which one will I like more?" Kuroo grinned naughtily, but then yelped as another hard pinch sent goosebumps crawling over his skin despite the warm jets of water raining down on them.

"Do you really want to find out?" Kenma said dangerously low and oh so freaking hot. Kuroo was going to die in this shower. Cause of death: He came so hard he fucked his own life force out.

Kuroo bit his lip in anticipation. He kinda did want to find out, yes. But in the vein of dying somewhere stupid, he was actually legitimately afraid of doing anything too kinky in the shower because slip and fall deaths were far more common than most people would imagine. Having been in countless bathrooms to collect evidence over the years, this was a natural and unfortunate worry that came with the territory of being a forensic scientist.

Kenma knew exactly where his mind was at.

"You're not dying in a shower Kuroo," he kissed him again feeling the muscles relax against his own.

It was then that the blocker felt the murmurs of fingertips easing their way past their stomachs to wrap slowly around his engorged, throbbing dick, which jumped when it finally received attention.

"The hard way or the easy way?" He heard the whisper ask. His eyes had closed without him fully realizing.

Kuroo did another poor job at concealing his hesitant swallow.

"Dealer's choice."

Kenma dropped to his knees.

This freaked the tall cat out for a moment, heart pounding against his ribcage as he realized that it was intentional and not a slip or him passing out for some bizarre reason. But his body relaxed as he felt his boyfriend carefully begin to lap him open, making the already shower-wet and pre-cum wet head even _more_ wet if that were physically possible. His tongue was hotter than the water though, much hotter and fluid over his raging flesh that ached to fuck hard even though he knew he really shouldn't.

Kenma took more of him in, sucking up and down his impressive length with as much dexterity and skillful mastery as he applied to his pro gaming and other ventures. His semi blonde hair was drenched and completely flattened, spread out over his shoulders which were moving with his body to fuck him at just the right speed and just the right pressure.

If anyone were going to pass out at this point, it would be Kuroo. He didn't know when he had wrapped one hand around the shower bar handle or when he had braced the other atop Kenma's head. All he knew was that he was so fucking close it hurt, that he loved this man so much that that fucking hurt too.

His tongue was doing something extraordinary along the ridge of his head when Kuroo felt the unmistakable rush from his groin on up through his shaft. He came broken and hard into the beautiful mouth that he loved for so many reasons, this being only one and oddly enough not even the most important one. Kenma rocked him through the aftershocks, gently tonguing him down from the high.

 _"Fuck,"_ Kuroo breathed trying to stay standing as the water was stinging against his skin. He was super lightheaded for whatever reason, but he was okay. At least he thought so anyway.

Kenma pulled off and nuzzled his balls with a soft, careful nose.

Golden eyes peered up at him and widened.

 _"Kuroo,"_ he said urgently, standing and snapping a hand around his forearm. "Jesus, you need to tell me if it's too much! You're going to pass out if you don't sit down. Come on."

Without releasing his vice grip, Kenma turned off the water and yanked the curtain back. He stepped out first then turned to help his lanky companion get out without tripping. He pushed him to sit down on the toilet and a moment later threw a clean white towel over his head.

A still very lightheaded Kuroo stared dazed at his feet.

He hadn't fully realized how much his blood pressure had gone up from the combined heat of all the things and the high from getting off. So while the shower fun time was appreciated and pleasurable, it wasn't doing anything to make him less dizzy.

Steady hands ruffled the towel over his messy jet black waves and shimmied down his shoulders and back, drying and pressing as they went.

Kenma sighed lightly.

Kuroo was by no means a stupid man, but _not_ warning him that he was likely moments away from passing out was not only terrifying but also incredibly, incredibly stupid. It's not like they hadn't had shower sex plenty of times before. And he had even been smart and flagged the same sort of situation once when they had first moved into their house and were still getting used to unlimited hot showers from the tankless water heater.

The former setter breathed a heavier sigh out his nose. He didn't understand where Kuroo's head had been at the past few days. Maybe it was even longer than that. The past few months? He had been doing slightly more reckless and stupid things with a noticeable frequency. It seemed like he had hurt his ankle a few weeks ago too, but he never mentioned it so Kenma didn't bring it up. Kuroo would tell him if something was wrong, right? Kuroo told him _everything_ that's just how he rolled. But something was off recently. Something was bothering him or weighing on him, making him sluggish and slower to react to situations he damn well knew he should have been paying attention to.

"Babe."

Big dark eyes peered up from underneath the towel making him look far more innocent than he really was.

"I'm sorry…"

Kenma leaned forward and cupped the back of his toweled bedhead to pull him towards his chest.

"Please don't do that again," the semi blonde said quietly. "I know you think I'm sharp, but you can't expect me to always know when you're feeling like that."

"I know."

"If you fell I wouldn't be able to catch you."

"I know…"

"So no more booze before bed."

"Wait, what?" Kuroo pulled away to see if he was serious, which he absolutely was.

"You can't handle it," Kenma said firmly.

 _"I_ can't handle it? Kenma, you're the one who got blitzed and rock hard after _one_ drink—what do you mean _I_ can't handle it?"

Kenma solidly pressed his lips together. This was not a good sign.

"I'm not arguing with you about this. You're the one who almost just collapsed in literally the one place you never shut up about every time you're offsite collecting death evidence for."

Kuroo resented that. Probably because Kenma was right, but he really didn't want to cave.

Unfortunately, Kenma was now so pissed that he stormed out of the bathroom still dripping wet in his towel.

How did he manage to fuck that up so quickly? Sometimes Kuroo impressed himself with his powers of antagonistic instigation.

"Kenma…" Kuroo said cautiously into their low lit cabin bedroom a few minutes later.

The gamer said nothing, silently fuming as he changed into a comfortable baggy sleep tee and a fresh pair of briefs from their suitcase.

"Kenma, I said I'm sorry," Kuroo tried again coming into the room to hover near his very clearly pissed off boyfriend.

"Then fucking act like it," the semi blonde said brushing his hair out furiously without looking at him. "Will you move?"

Kuroo recoiled out of the way just from the pure irritation in his voice as Kenma ducked around him to get to his own side of the bed.

"Babe," Kuroo tried to sound apologetic, but his own frustration was still leaking through.

"Don't 'babe' me Kuroo. This isn't a fucking joke and I'm not kidding around."

"I know you aren't, and _I'm sorry,_ so will you please just look at me?" Kuroo begged him as he sat down on his side of the bed.

Golden eyes pierced through him as the brush paused in his hair. He was waiting.

"I won't drink so close to crashing, okay?" The tall cat promised hoping that this didn't include nights with their friends over because those became a wild mess _very_ fast and he shouldn't be held fully or solely accountable for _that._

"And I'll warn you next time. I promise," Kuroo said genuinely. He felt bad now. Sometimes it took longer to sink in why Kenma was mad at him, and now that his fog was fading a bit it made sense even to his buzzed brain.

Kenma looked like he wanted to believe him, but also like he wasn't going to back down if there was a "but" coming.

"Dude, I _am_ sorry…"

"I know," Kenma sighed, setting his brush down on the nightstand and pulling the covers back to climb under.

"So then why do you still sound pissed?" The blocker pressed, leaning down across the comforter to be closer to his face.

"Because you could have gotten hurt Kuroo."

Kenma wouldn't look at him again, his shoulders arched up under a mess of sheets and comfort. He sounded pretty level-headed, but Kuroo knew him better than that. There was a subtle hint of panic and large overtones of concern and anger laced in that one simple sentence. Kenma loved him more than anything, he knew that. It just broke his heart to feel like he had somehow betrayed the trust they shared even if he didn't mean to at all.

Kuroo pressed a slow, meaningful kiss into his still damp roots.

"I'm sorry I worried you," he whispered simply.

His boyfriend visibly relaxed a bit at this.

"I love you. Please don't be mad at me," he continued nuzzling his nose into the threads that still smelled really good despite not being conditioned again.

The small cat sighed and rolled over to face him.

"I love you too, but you need to stop doing stupid things," Kenma said as patiently as he could, their eyes finally meeting.

"I can try," Kuroo offered, his own eyes soft for the tired and frazzled-looking cuddle buddy beside him.

"That's all I ask."

Kuroo was certain all of this would bite him in the ass again sometime soon, but for right now he settled on the fact that Kenma was considerably less pissed than he was five minutes ago and took that as a win. He changed into clean boxers and tucked his lanky body beneath the sheets towards his warm, moody boyfriend.

What he didn't know was just how much all of this affected his own thoughts and feelings, and how that would twist the events of the days to come on their wild misadventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew boy, that one was fully-loaded huh? Lots of love, but also a lot of misunderstandings and complicated feelings to sort through. Such is life!
> 
> So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Strong feelings about anything in particular? Personally, I was just happy to find out that cat marshmallows actually exist haha... But aside from that, it's just interesting to see where these two take themselves and how quickly one situation leads to something else entirely. 
> 
> As always, hope you enjoyed! If you did and you are looking for any more Kuroken content, please feel free to check out some of my other fics. Just started a childhood story that I'm pretty excited to be developing right now too. <3


	6. The Lake

It's not like he didn't see it every weekend, but in the dim morning light that filtered through their lakeview cabin window Kuroo couldn't help but feel grateful to watch his boyfriend's sleeping face breathing peacefully beside him. 

Kenma's long black lashes were still against his stressless cheeks, semi blonde hair splayed across the pillow in rolling waves of silk. His mouth even hung open the tiniest bit, a look he never had while awake, puffing out deep rhythmic breaths. Really there was never a time that the former setter looked more relaxed than this. It's why Kuroo was always as skillful as a cat slinking back into bed so that he wouldn't startle him—instead preferring to sneak closer to his radiating heat until he began stirring on his own. 

In general, Kuroo didn't want to screw his boyfriend out of any precious Z's, especially since the pro gamer usually streamed for an indefinable amount of time Friday through Sunday. Sometimes Kenma was still awake when Kuroo got up to go running, which _never_ ended well. Twice, much to Kenma's _extreme_ embarrassment, Kuroo had belligerently interrupted the voice chat telling Kodzuken's fanbase that _he_ needed to go to bed and so did _they_ for that matter. The blocker had even literally dragged him to their bedroom and threw blanket upon blanket on top of him until he submitted.

Kenma knew better than to pull that crap anymore. He still would cut it close occasionally, but the consequences were clear if he dared to stream beyond the normal nocturnal hours.

Kuroo vaguely wondered if he was getting more or less sleep on this trip. Maybe it was a tie?

Then again, the two of them had crashed relatively early the night before. Both were spent from sore trail muscles and too much _other_ physical activities. Even Kuroo could feel a slight burn in his pretty solidly built thighs and calves, and if he was feeling it then Kenma _definitely_ would be waking up to some soreness. The blocker would take care of that the best he could though, knowing that Kenma hated to be uncomfortable. Really _no one_ liked this part about hiking, but it was a small price to pay for witnessing such beauty in nature and having these out of the ordinary, special experiences together. 

Now that he thought about it, his ankle was starting to flare up too. It sent shooting pains through his tendons when he tried to stretch it beneath the sheets, but he chose to ignore that. He could muscle through it like he had been. It would be fine. Honestly, it was crazy that Kenma hadn't noticed it for this long...

So Kuroo patiently waited and watched his scrawny sleeping beauty who was swimming in an old t-shirt at least a size or two too big for him. Long, tanned fingers dared to brush just a few strands of mostly black hair off his peaceful face. He wanted to kiss him, but he could wait. He could enjoy other things for now.

Like how Kenma was SO warm. 

Like, ridiculously warm. And soft. And irresistible. The bed-headed fool inched towards his companion until his lanky panther body curled up as close as he could get without smothering him. His dark eyes took the time to trace the lines of his face and bone structure, lingering on the sweet breaths that made his chest and stomach rise up and down melodically. The little cat often wore just a gamer tee and underwear to bed, but sometimes if it were really cold or if they had company over he'd wear sweats, gym shorts, or actual pajama pants (because he _did_ have some of those thanks to Kuroo's ingeniously goofy birthday and holiday gift-giving over the years).

As much as Kenma made his heart squish by being a beautiful angel in his sleep, Kuroo also couldn't stop replaying yesterday in his mind. Particularly the grand finale in the shower after their boozy campfire frisk, and especially how badly he had fucked things up afterwards. He didn't know why he didn't say anything about getting lightheaded and it was understandably logical for Kenma to get as pissed as he did considering the potential consequences of falling in a position like _that_. Though Kuroo was _a little_ distracted for obvious reasons, he knew he was losing his grip so why didn't he just say something? They could have finished somewhere else, they had before under other awkward circumstances. Kenma wouldn't have cared. Kenma could have even been hurt if he'd fallen on him. Lord knows what could have happened to his own dick in a situation like that…

Kuroo shuddered.

Maybe they didn't need to do sexy things in the shower anymore. There were other, better places to fuck around in that had much lower accidental death and injury rates.

Kenma's pale cheek squinted and his eyes twitched beneath their lids. He made a terribly cute sound that was something between a sigh and a tiny squeak that made Kuroo’s heart skip a beat. Shit _,_ he was completely hopeless when it came to this guy.

"Mm," the gamer hummed sleepily, curling closer under the sheets to the tanned skin and muscles of his boyfriend's chest beside him.

"I'm sorry," Kuroo said quietly, pressing a kiss into his forehead slowly. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Mmghmm," the lump formerly known as Kenma Kozume replied as he buried his face into Kuroo's smooth skin.

"What was that?" Kuroo couldn’t help smiling. Kenma trying to talk when he was clearly still sleep drunk on melatonin was high on the list of most adorable things in the world.

The small cat grunted, making the tall cat curl his free arm around his shoulders as he kissed his head again.

"Didn't quite catch that either."

Kenma groaned and snuggled his face between Kuroo's perky man tits, which were smooth and warm and very comfortable.

"You're so poetic."

The former setter huffed irritably. "...Sleptist meidunmpt stammny," he mumbled as he nuzzled his nose close to one tanned nipple.

"Kenma, are you speaking in tongues? If so, can you teach me how?"

"I _said_ , sleep is my dump stat anyway..." Kenma grumbled more coherently this time.

"What's that mean?" Kuroo cocked his roosterhead slightly to the side as he kept himself half propped up by one arm.

The gamer just groaned again and tried to bury himself deeper under the covers, intertwining his pale bare legs with the thicker, longer ones beside him. He took in a deep breath full of Kuroo, which was always delightfully calming assuming he had showered and wasn't straight home from a game, a run, or the lab. 

“How do you feel?” The tall cat asked as he nudged his long nose slowly across his boyfriend's forehead. Morning cuddles were the best, but he absolutely anticipated sore muscles and some snark around them to crop up. Might as well see how bad the damage was from the get go.

“...My legs hurt,” Kenma stated quietly. He actually didn't sound resentful, which was good. Just his usual amount of neutral bluntness.

"From hiking yesterday?" Kuroo asked running a few fingers through the layers of multi-colored hair to get it up off his face.

"That would be my guess," the semi blonde mumbled evenly, sniffling a little and resting his head in the crook of his boyfriend’s arm and chest. It was comfortable here too.

"I told you you needed protein," the tall cat said slyly as he placed another kitten kiss along his hairline. This man was so kissable it hurt. 

"Oh my god, can you just—"

"Shut up. Yea, yea. Gimme those legs Kenma," Kuroo said fondly, shuffling under the covers to find one thin chicken leg to bend up so he could reach it properly. He pressed his thumb in gently along his calf, which Kenma immediately winced at.

"Oh… That bad, huh?" 

This didn't bode well for today's list of activities.

"It's fine, just go easy on me," the former setter said huskily through slightly gritted teeth. It hurt more than he thought it would, but he supposed it was delusional to think the muscle mass from his volleyball days would still be around. He'd have to work to grow it all back if he expected little to no pain from things like this, and _that_ certainly wasn’t happening.

The lanky blocker continued to press and roll his fingers and knuckles into his boyfriend's damaged calf muscles. Kneading their way down to his ankles, back up his shins which also somehow hurt, and up to his thighs which were sensitive on top probably because they had done the higher elevation trail yesterday morning. They barely had any actual steps at home, so it wasn't surprising to hear Kenma's sharp intake when he first pressed a few fingers into his leg just below his briefs.

Kuroo knew all of this hurt but also felt good because he’d been there too many times to count himself. Kenma kept sighing in relief then hissing slightly from the bruisy-feeling, low-level pain. Serotonin should have been slowly releasing throughout his body, which would help relax the abused muscles while the nerves loosened up too. He felt slightly guilty for putting him through this, but later on he knew the memories they'd make together were what they'd recall the most—not the normal aches that one deserved after putting their body through all day physical activities.

The former setter was now past the initial pain and so relaxed that he started breathing deeper and drooling a little, drifting back into blessed slumber. 

The bed-headed fool cupped his face and angled it up so he could press a deep, loving kiss against the soft lips he found there. He pulled back only to double-dip with another quicker and slightly wetter kiss, which was surprisingly returned with some enthusiasm.

When he pulled away, golden half-lidded eyes met his own dark grays.

"You need to shave," Kenma said point blank, though there was affection in that shining cat-like gaze.

"Yea, but that would require getting up," Kuroo yawned widely, wondering if he too should have slept a bit more. But he couldn't help it. He was excited for today even if he was a little nervous for tomorrow.

"Well you look like a hobo."

"Uh, it's _mountain man_ up here Kenma. Thank you very much," Kuroo retorted, pulling the smaller warm body closer to him and razzing his fingers on the gripped shoulder.

"Okay mountain man," the gamer grinned slyly as he shifted to give out his own kiss squarely on the only non-prickly surface of his face, which ended up being his forehead. 

"Go shave."

"Awwww, _fine_ _._ Because I love you I will go lose all my hard-earned mountain cred and get back to being a smooth-skinned urbanite." Kuroo leaned up in bed, slipped on his black framed glasses, and reached for his phone on the side table which was blinking with an unread message.

"Oh! Dude, did you see Akaashi's text from last night?"

"No…" Kenma muttered half into his pillow as he slightly regretted telling Kuroo to get up because he lost his main heat source.

"Look!"

Kuroo held his phone so close to Kenma's face he had to push it back a little in order to take in the photo. 

“Akaashi is so screwed! Bo’s not going to shut up for months because of us,” Kuroo laughed, shaking his phone a bit.

On the screen grinning like a wild madman was Bokuto sitting almost completely flat on their couch as both of their cats laid on his chest. The fluffy calico tucked up under his chin, bottlebrush tail curled around into his crazed salt and pepper hair while their black short hair cat sprawled across his stomach and torso. The spiker's thickly ripped arms were fenced around both of them so that they wouldn't fall. He looked like he was dying from pure, unadulterated joy. Kenma could practically hear his giddy, obsessive squealing and imagined Keiji trying not to laugh as he took the picture.

Bokuto loved their cats. _A lot._

Kenma backed out of the full screen photo to read the texts.

_Akaashi《7:16》: In case you were wondering… the boys are alright._

_Akaashi《7:17》: Hope you're having a good time. Just didn't want you to worry._

"Cute," Kenma said as he tried not to smile and Kuroo pulled his phone away to look at it again, grinning with ornery amusement. He poked the blocker's thigh through his crimson briefs. "Now go shave."

The _"so you can kiss me properly"_ part was left unspoken.

 _“Fine_ , fine. I’ll move my ass if you start moving yours. We got places to go and shit to see today Kenma.”

With that, the tall cat stretched his back out as he stood, popping a series of unhealthy-sounding cracks before he padded out of the bedroom to the bathroom next door.

Kenma was just burying his face back into his pillow when he heard Kuroo scream.

The semi blonde jumped, startled at the sound before adrenaline flooded his brain. He ripped off the sheets exposing his skinny body to the cool cabin air and bolted out of the bedroom into the bathroom where he slammed to a stop to stare wide-eyed at Kuroo who was cowering on top of the toilet in his underwear.

“What the fuck is your problem Kuroo?” Kenma said incredulously. There didn’t seem to be _anything_ wrong other than the fact that his idiot boyfriend was potentially going to get his dad’s credit card charged for breaking the toilet lid.

“ _My problem?_ It’s _our_ problem Kenma! Jesus, just kill it already!” Kuroo practically yelled at him staring at the linoleum floor with panicked horror on his face.

The small cat looked down and noticed a rather large black spider sitting in the corner near the tub. 

Kenma deadpanned.

"You can't tell me you didn't expect spiders out here Kuroo..." The gamer sighed walking out.

“KENMA! Don’t you abandon me, I—”

But before he could finish, Kenma appeared with a glass and the map from yesterday. Kuroo’s dark eyes were wide with trepidation as he watched the former setter calmly catch the huge arachnid beneath the cup and slide the thick trail guide underneath it. 

"I love nature, but _fuck_ spiders man," Kuroo said as he full body shivered, shoulders hunched and hands shaking out the jitters like _he_ was the one on insect removal duty.

Golden eyes rolled hard at the absurdity of the situation. Kuroo was always like this with bugs that didn’t fall under the cute or fuzzy category. Even when they were little he didn’t really like going to catch stag beetles, which Kenma was fine with but his mom had been disappointed that neither boy was interested in what she thought would be a fun camping activity.

A few minutes later, Kenma returned and found Kuroo still standing on the toilet like a cat who had forgotten how to get down from a high place.

“You’re going to break that if you don’t get off.”

Kuroo glared down at him, which was actually something he rarely did being such a positive and light-hearted person in general.

Kenma sighed again. “There aren’t any others Kuroo. Please get down before you bust it or yourself open.”

gaThe blocker bit his lip. “How do you _know_ there aren’t more Kenma? Those things can spawn hundreds, NO, thousands of spider babies that could be _anywhere_ and—”

“My spider senses aren’t tingling,” Kenma said dryly. “Come on, you need to shave. I need to get dressed. We need to go do a thing or two I guess if that’s what you have planned...”

He still wasn’t moving.

 _“Or_ I’ll go play my Switch by the fireplace and you can hole up in here,” Kenma said nonchalantly, turning around and counting down from three in his mind.

“OH, like _hell_ you’re doing that Kenma!” He heard the thump of his boyfriend’s weight bracing the ground and the scuffling of their toiletries bag at the sink. “Don’t you pull that thing out Kozume—I’ll be ready in four minutes, you hear? _Four minutes!”_

Got him.

Kenma smirked as he sauntered back into the bedroom and sorted through their clothes to find something to wear. It always worked, the threat of starting a game which immediately added at least half an hour or more to getting out the door once he got sucked into it. It was an empty threat this time, but an appropriate and effective one. 

As the semi blonde got dressed he did vaguely wonder when he would be able to get in front of that blazing fireplace. He’d intended to game and cuddle and hopefully have some frisky time there if Kuroo was down for it, but he supposed they’d be spending the majority of the day out again. 

He sighed lightly. Kenma hoped they wouldn’t be doing anything too strenuous today, but you never knew when you were dating a gigantic mysterious mess like Tetsurou Kuroo.

—

“It’s the largest crater lake in Honshu,” Kuroo marveled with his hands on his hips and one sneaker perched proudly atop a large rock as they stood at the water’s edge. It was quite beautiful and very quiet save for the birds that were singing to each other in the autumn-colored trees. The water lapped gently up onto the sandy, rocky shore before them.

“What makes it a crater lake versus a regular lake?” Kenma asked, staring out into the glassy, reflective surface. Kuroo had wanted to tie his hair back again, but the former setter protested grumpily so they compromised by pulling his bangs back into a ponytail and leaving the rest down. He’d fix it later when Kuroo wasn’t looking.

“Volcanic activity!” Kuroo sing-songed enthusiastically as he tipped his flat bill hat.

“Excuse me?” Kenma’s face dropped. 

“They’re lakes that are made from defunct volcanoes my little kitty friend,” the blocker said proudly, fishing out his map from the side pocket of his backpack. He purposefully left the spider-tainted copy in the cabin in case any more of those assholes showed up.

“You mean to tell me we’re standing on a _volcano?_ ” Kenma looked very uneasy all of the sudden.

“Well, yea. But active or no—”

“An _active_ volcano? What the fuck Kuroo—are you _serious?_ _”_ Kenma spat in a mildly panicked tone. He didn’t say a _goddamn_ word about any volcanoes.

“Well, the caldera of an active volcano,” Kuroo scratched his head staring at the map. “Chill out. It’s been like 3,000 years since this one last blew its top.”

“I can’t believe you talked me into this...”

“Kenma. Stop. It’s fine. It’s not going to blow up for the few measly days that we have left,” Kuroo said as he began walking along the shore still staring at the foldout that the park rangers had given him. The kayak rentals were supposed to be _somewhere_ around here...

Kenma made an angry, irritated noise in his throat, but didn’t say anything as he uneasily slumped after his boyfriend. What other dangers had Kuroo conveniently forgotten to tell him about?

They passed an opening to the lake trail that they had taken yesterday, which despite being a “lake trail” actually had very few views of the lake itself. It winded its way around the massive body of water mostly through the woods, so it didn’t have as many lookouts as perhaps Kuroo had expected. There at the trail path was a carved wooden sign with a simple etching of a bear and the kanji for _CAUTION BEAR AREA._

Kenma stopped walking, clutching the straps of his backpack as he stared at the sign. He didn’t remember seeing that yesterday.

Kuroo was quite a few meters down the beach before he realized Kenma wasn’t following him.

“Oi! Babe, it should be just up ahead,” the bed-headed blocker called, but the small cat didn’t move or even look at him. “Mars to Kenma? You okay?” 

He walked back towards his companion who was mesmerized by a park sign.

“What the hell is this?” Kenma asked flatly, pointing to it as if he could be talking about anything else.

Shit.

Kuroo bit his lip thoughtfully. “That, my observant compadre, is a _sign.”_

Kenma swung to face him, multi-colored hair flinging as he did so.

“You _knew_ there were bears here,” he steamed letting the weight of his full-blown golden glare pierce his boyfriend’s big, stupid face.

 _“Technically,_ there _may_ be, but there’s no _guarantee_ _—”_

“Why would you bring me to a place where I could be volcanically destroyed or eaten by the largest land predator in Japan?” The former setter seethed. His heart was beating faster now. What the fuck would they do if ran into a _bear?_ They’d be toast. There was no fighting that IRL no matter how many times he’d defeated them in games.

“Kenma. Calm down. You’re overreacting,” Kuroo said quickly as his mouth opened again to continue his rant. “It’s _fine._ There are hardly any of them even left in this area and if we did run into them we have this.”

Kuroo turned to his side and looked down at the spray can that was in the fish net pocket of his backpack. Now that Kenma was properly paying attention to it he did see that it was “for use in case of bear encounters only.”

“Do you even know how to use that?” Kenma glared at it fairly certain he’d be more likely to accidentally spray one of them than an actual bear.

“The park ranger showed me. It’s no biggie. You worry too much,” the lanky blocker said pulling his hand so that the small cat slumped forward and he could press a quick kiss to his forehead. 

“Come on babe. Let’s go teach you how to kayak.”

—

Not long after the bear sign crisis, the two Nekoma grads wandered far enough down the beach to find a small rental shack, wooden lake dock, and a stony shore lined with many colorful kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. 

Kuroo picked out a large candy apple red tandem kayak, paid the friendly hippie at the rental counter, and retrieved their life jackets. He had Kenma sit down in the back with their paddles, snapped a quick photo with the camera that was hanging from a lanyard around his neck, and pulled the boat into the water. Luckily, he’d remembered to bring his water sneakers on this trip and had them both dress in layers with board shorts, long sleeved shirts, and water resistant windbreakers.

Kenma wasn’t sure how he felt about being the one who had to steer in the back using the foot pedals he couldn’t even see, but it actually wasn’t as hard as he thought it’d be. In fact, after the first twenty minutes of trying to get their paddles in sync and learning the basics of how the boat moved depending on the pressure he applied with each foot, Kenma was sort of having fun. The lake was spectacularly huge in a whole different way once you were out on the water. There were birds echoing in the colorful foliage of the primeval forest around them. Turtles sleeping peacefully beside each other on logs trying to catch the stray bits of sunshine peeking through the clouds above them. A grey heron standing in the shallow reeds spotted them and took off in flight farther down to the area they were headed to.

Yes, this was much preferable to the trails they did yesterday for quite a few reasons. A) It did not require more leg muscles to sacrifice, B) Kuroo was doing most of the physical work anyway, and C) _there were no bears._ They continued along spotting fish through the impossibly clear water, more herons, and other waterfowl. Mostly, Kenma was just impressed by how peaceful it all felt. How serene and other-worldly being out here far from society and so close to what the earth was naturally meant to be like. It was humbling and beautiful and comforting in ways he didn't understand.

But it was also more exhausting than he’d expected after they’d been at it for an hour and a half.

"How... are you still... paddling so fast…" Kenma breathed, setting his own down for a moment as the momentum of Kuroo's strokes kept them gliding through the water.

"It's all this big dick energy!" Kuroo laughed as he intentionally splashed some water back on Kenma with his paddle.

 _"Don't!"_ Kenma tried to block as the cold water flecked up onto his already goose-fleshed legs. He glared at the back of Kuroo's stupid bedhead, which was mostly covered with his hat to reduce sun glare on his glasses and prevent a burn on his scalp (a real and painful thing they had found out about a few years ago on a different sort of trip). 

"You are far too confident for a man who can't even handle spiders."

" _OUCH,_ Kenma. Aim a little lower next time and you can add the boys to your kill list too."

"I didn't _say_ you had a small dick, you just don't think things through all the time. I can't go as fast as you..." Kenma shot back. His arms were nowhere near as built as Kuroo's and neither was his stamina. They never had been. What did he expect?

"So you're saying I'm dumb _and_ phallically-challenged?" Kuroo snarked.

 _"No,_ stop putting words in my mouth."

"I'll stop putting my tiny dick in your mouth too if you want."

" _Kuroo_ _._ Your dick is _not_ small. It's _fine_ the way it is. Stop being such a drama queen..."

"So now it's a _fine_ micro dick. Thanks."

"Do you need more attention or something? Because I thought agreeing to five entire days of non-stop Kuroo adventure time would somehow be good enough for you," Kenma slung back with more vitriol than was strictly necessary.

"I didn't say it wasn't good enough," Kuroo's eyes widened at the implication. His paddle stopped. He thought they were kidding around, but now he wasn't so sure because Kenma was very clearly breathing through his nose back there and he sounded almost… pissed. Again.

"Then don't come at me with this bullshit," Kenma hissed irritably under his breath.

Oh yea, he was pissed.

Maybe he was getting upset because he was just tired or hungry? Or was he still mad about last night? Normally he didn’t dwell on things, preferring to just let them go... Maybe because this _was_ a whole lot of time together without any introvert downtime? That could be it. He hadn’t really given his boyfriend that many opportunities to just vedge out since they’d gotten here.

Kuroo decided then that they would skip the next trail and head back to the cabin after they made the loop around the lake. He could take a nap or something and Kenma could get on his Switch with the fireplace like he'd been talking about. They could just chill and recharge their batteries before heading out a little later in the afternoon for the surprise excursion he had planned that night.

"Hey…" Kuroo tried to turn around in his seat, but it was awkward with the life jacket so he gave up and reached a large blind hand around to touch him.

"The fuck are you—" Kenma swore when his hand accidentally collided with the crotch of his swim trunks.

" _I wasn't aiming for that!"_ Kuroo yelped, quickly grasping around for Kenma's thigh instead. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a dick… or grab yours. I am _really_ happy you're here and I _do_ appreciate getting to spend all this time with you..."

The kayak stilled as it lost its manpower.

"I guess maybe I just feel like, I dunno, like I can't tell if you're getting anything out of all this or not," Kuroo said quietly staring off at the shore in the distance. The orange and red mountains and trees rose up just beyond it as silent witnesses to their lover's spat. The blocker felt like he was ruining a perfectly good memory.

"I was until you started crying about your dick size," Kenma said bitterly. "Did we not just have a pretty good time last night? Am I missing something?" He continued referring to the bathroom sex he had treated Kuroo to inside after the campfire BJ. Kenma thought he had done a fairly decent job at pleasuring his boyfriend overall, even if the whole situation had very nearly gone south. It was irritating to hear Kuroo talk like this and it wasn't helping that his nerves were still a bit shot after the panic-inducing shower incident. He hadn’t been afraid, truly afraid like that in a long, long time.

"We did," Kuroo admitted feeling even worse about his complaining now. “It was good… really good.”

"Then I don't understand where this insecurity is coming from," Kenma said with less anger and more frustration at himself in his voice. 

He could normally get a good read on Kuroo's thoughts and feelings, but this self-deprecating micro penis bullshit was completely new. Kuroo _never_ talked smack about either of their bodies that way, preferring to be body-positive almost to the point of being annoying. He didn't even make fun of Kenma when his stomach had softly rounded out from the lack of volleyball practice and hours spent sitting for work. Nor had Kuroo _ever_ said anything about the fact that his boyfriend was clearly down a size category from him in that department anyway. Why would he talk like this now? What was wrong with him?

Kuroo bit his lip and swallowed the growing knot in his throat. 

He was nervous. Everything was getting so much closer now that they were really here and doing the things. He must not have realized how much all this planning and plotting had actually put him on edge despite loving and truly treasuring this time with Kenma more than anything. Shame spread over him.

"I don't know either," he lied softly. 

Kenma sighed.

"Can you just knock it off and relax then?"

"Yea…"

"...And your dick is huge. Don't ever insult it again unless you want to have words with my ass about it."

Kuroo grinned despite himself.

"Yes sir, captain."

Luckily, unlike Kuroo, Kenma did not generally hold onto grudges or bad feelings. Preferring to deal with his life's problems directly and methodically as if it were as simple as tackling quests one by one in a video game. Kuroo had trouble letting things go and forgiving himself if he fucked up, but Kenma knew this and tried his best to show that he wasn't pissed at him anymore as they ate lunch atop a beach towel on the sandy northern shore they'd finally paddled to.

"This is really good."

"It's a ham and cheese sandwich Kenma. It’s nothing special."

"Still," Kenma shrugged, taking another bite of meat, cheese, lettuce, and cucumber.

"I'm no Iron Chef, but I feel like we could add something to spice it up next time," Kuroo chewed thoughtfully.

"Please don't wasabi the sandwiches Kuroo."

Normally that would have gotten a belly laugh and snarky retort out of his boyfriend, but instead the roosterhead just grinned and shook his head lightly as he took another bite.

"This place is beautiful," Kenma said staring out over the bright blue water at the earthly giants, the forest, and the stillness.

"It really is," Kuroo agreed. He could hear the sounds of birds lifting up out of the trees and the breeze that shifted the reeds in the water, humming in peaceful whispering harmonies.

The blocker breathed out deeply.

"I love you Kenma."

Golden eyes flickered back to him. Holding him for a moment against the cloudy blue autumn sky and the layers of speckled foliage beyond. It wasn’t a common thing to say even to your spouse in Japan, but they weren’t a common couple and both of them felt better when they heard those words.

"I love you too Kuroo," he answered simply.

Kenma's black and blonde hair was shimmering in the quick moment of sunshine that broke through the wisps of cirrus and cumulonimbus above them. The windblown traces of his bangs had already broken loose from the half ponytail Kuroo had helped him with that morning. There was the tiniest tint of sun across his cheeks and nose from yesterday's travels, which reminded him they needed to reapply before they headed back. When Kenma burned he burned _bad_ _._

"Do you forgive me?" The blocker asked sincerely, unable to keep the shame out of his voice. Part of him meant for last night and another part meant for the tiff in the boat. He was having trouble keeping his growing anxiety in check. It just kept messing things up, but he didn’t realize it was happening until he’d already done something stupid.

"You know I do. Stop beating yourself up," the former setter said with cat-like eyes squinting slightly in quiet concern. "I'm happy to be here with you."

"You are?"

"Yes, of course I am," Kenma stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kuroo stopped eating and looked down at the rocky sand below his water sneakers and board shorts.

"Are you feeling okay?" 

This question crushed Kuroo's heart. 

Of course Kenma was getting worried—he was a literal _genius_ according to _Nippon Geek Week's_ July startup profile on him. The pro gamer and business savant was clever beyond clever, and as keenly observant as he was bluntly honest. He could sense disturbances in his boyfriend's behavior kilometers away even on a busy day, let alone on the slower-paced, distraction-less sort of vacation Sunday they were currently having.

"Yea, I dunno..." His dark gray eyes felt heavier all the sudden. Like the effort he had exerted to get them here was finally catching up with him. "Would you hate me if we went back to the cabin after this?"

Kenma blinked.

"No… of course not. We can go back," Kenma said evenly, although this didn't banish the concern from his face. If anything he looked even more worried now.

"I think maybe I just haven't been getting enough sleep or something. I've been making us do too much in a short amount of time and now it's kicking my ass," Kuroo said more or less truthfully as he snaked a palm up under his dark frames to rub his eyes. Waves of black bedhead tufted out from under the sports cap making him look pathetically adorable in that moment.

Having finished his sandwich, Kenma tucked the plastic baggie back into the lunchbox and then shifted closer to his companion on their little beach towel. He bumped his head into the soft place between Kuroo's shoulder and his chest, nuzzling wordless affection into him.

Kuroo's heart was absolute toast at this point. This boy knew how to positively melt him anytime, anywhere, any situation.

"Maybe you should take a cat nap then," the gamer suggested as he gently pressed his nose into his boyfriend's throat and left a soft, slow kitten kiss there.

The levels of PDA Kenma was willing to exhibit on this trip kept surprising the _HELL_ out of Kuroo. It seemed like if the small cat believed no one was around to see them, then it was perfectly acceptable to just be themselves and touch and kiss and do _other_ things like last night. It made Kuroo’s heart pump madly with tender affection and fluttery excitement. Maybe there were more possibilities for tonight than he had originally anticipated...

"That sure couldn't hurt," Kuroo agreed wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, squeezing him close and reciprocating with a meaningful kiss through his bangs to his temple.

Thank god Kenma wasn’t pushing it right now. Kuroo wasn't sure how he was going to convince him that he was tired enough to take a midday nap instead of tackling their next trail anyway. Kuroo didn't ever puss out—he doubled down, pushed himself to his limits, and sometimes went beyond them (although those moments usually earned him mental or physical injuries). It would have been an obvious copout if he was suddenly "too tired" to continue. But Kenma needed some chill time on his own, that much was clear. Perhaps Kuroo did too, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

After a little bit, they finished the rest of their lunch on the beach and dragged the boat back into the water to make their way back to the kayak rental hut far across the lake. Both cats feeling some relief that they had quickly ironed out their argument and had a warm, cozy cabin to return to.

—

They were nearly back to the little rental area when Kuroo paused his steady paddle and stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the forest off to their right. 

_“Hoooooly shit,”_ Kuroo breathed out shakily in whispered reverence.

Kenma looked up and froze with amazed and slightly horrified golden eyes.

It was a bear.

Not only was it a bear, but a _mother_ bear. Beside her an adolescent black cub was splashing and playing in the water. They weren’t even that far from them. Certainly far enough out that it would be incredibly difficult for the creatures to reach them, but ALSO so close they could see the features of the mother bear as she lapped up the water from the lake.

Kenma’s heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. Oddly enough, he wasn’t afraid. Something about this was just so… so unbelievable. So far from his reality of games and technology and city life that his brain could hardly comprehend the images that were coming in through his eyes. 

A real bear. _Two_ real bears. Right there. So close. So wild. This was so fucking wild.

Chills ran down Kenma’s spine.

“Oh my god, look at that fluffy little guy,” Kuroo whispered in awe staring at the playful cub which had now taken to biting its mother’s leg for attention. “If we were on land right now I would be pissing myself!”

“How are you so sure you’re not doing that anyway?”

“Kenma, don’t. This is fucking magical and you know it,” Kuroo quipped hastily under his breath.

“Yea…” Kenma murmured as he watched the two beasts meander along the beach away from them. It was insane. Just insane seeing something so big and wild this close. The former setter didn’t believe in gods, but this was spiritual as _fuck._

“Ohhhh, we should follow them,” Kuroo whined longingly.

“Yea, no. Bad idea,” Kenma said as his feet transitioned the pedals steering the tandem back towards the little rental hut.

“Come ooooonnn!”

“Absolutely not Kuroo. We had our moment, just be grateful,” Kenma asserted paddling a little harder himself.

“OH FUCK!”

“What?!” Kenma reflexively jumped rocking the kayak.

“I need a picture!” Kuroo exclaimed, scrambling to get the camera up from the lanyard around his neck.

“ _Christ._ Do you _have_ to yell like that?” Kenma deflated in irritation. “You scared the shit out of me...”

Kuroo ignored him snapping happily in the front seat until he had his fill of fluffy wet baby bear photos a few minutes later.

“Sorry, I just almost forgot,” Kuroo finally said when he laid the camera back down in his lap and took up the paddle again.

Kenma sighed loudly and continued to row, the kayak now going much faster now with Kuroo helping.

“Hey, you wanna see if we can go find that hot spring later tonight?” Kuroo asked as they approached the kayak rental dock about twenty minutes later.

“I guess,” Kenma agreed wearily. As much as he wanted to game, he felt like he needed a nap too. This was all taking a lot out of him.

Kuroo read his mind.

“Maybe we’ll go rest in the hammock for a bit first, huh? Then you can go sneak off to play your game.” The blocker offered as they approached the shore. He hopped out into the shallow water to pull Kenma the rest of the way in.

“That sounds good,” Kenma said stepping out in the shallows now himself. He felt strangely connected to the bear they had just seen drinking from this same body of water.

“Hey Kenma.”

“Hey Kuroo,” the semi blonde answered dutifully.

“I’m proud of you. For doing this,” Kuroo said with such honesty in his eyes it hurt.

Kenma looked away. “Yea, it’s whatever. Not a big deal.”

They team lifted and hauled the boat back up to the colorful lineup they’d taken it from. Waving thanks to the nice rental man as they walked back up the path to the campground.

“I can’t believe we saw a fucking bear!” Kuroo grinned from ear to ear as he took Kenma’s hand in his own. The trail seemed empty so he didn’t think Kenma would mind.

“Yea,” Kenma breathed out heavily.

“You okay?”

“I feel like all my worst fears keep coming true.”

“What?” Kuroo laughed and bit his toothy smile. “What do you mean?”

“We go to a lake, it’s actually a volcano. We go to the woods, there are really bears. I’m waiting for you to say, _har har Kenma, turns out our cabin is totally haunted,”_ Kenma dropped his tone to imitate his boyfriend’s deep voice.

“I do NOT sound like that!” Kuroo said reproachfully, smacking their threaded hands against Kenma’s thigh as they walked. 

“You kinda do,” a tiny grin peeped out from the former setter’s mouth.

“You are such a brat, you know that?” Kuroo smacked his butt with their clasped hands next.

“I’m your brat.”

“Yea, you are.”

It was at that moment that Kenma once again dove his head into Kuroo’s shoulder, nuzzling it with the affection he knew both of them felt. It was another rare public display of affection from the introvert thanks to no one actually being around to see it. 

The more Kuroo thought about it, he was okay with that. This was more than he could have ever hoped for really, and more than they’d ever done before living in the city where eyes were always following them. Right now he was just so pumped up on forgiveness, kayaking endorphins, Kenma-induced oxytocin, and nature that everything just seemed right. And it was. 

For the moment at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These crazy boys! They're hot and cold, but at the end of the day it's all love no matter how much they bicker. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the cuddles, banter, and adventuring as much as I did. <3


	7. The Spring

"Kuroo…"

"Hm?" The roosterhead cocked his face sideways as they walked through the campground commons area, sadly no longer holding hands. Kenma had heard voices once they got closer to the trailhead that opened up into the tenting campsites and that was the end of that.

The little cat still hovered close to him though, venturing to tug on the edge of his open windbreaker as their pace slowed.

Kuroo looked up and blinked.

Nestled beyond the campground general store and educational center was a makeshift wooden stand that the blocker hadn't noticed before, presumably because it had been empty the other days when they had passed through. However, now it was decorated with a red and white checkered tablecloth and an assortment of baked goods including individually saran-wrapped bread loafs, muffins, cookies, and an assortment of adorable miniature-sized pies. A family with three small children had just picked out their favorite treats as a kind looking older woman handed them back their change. 

Golden gazing pupils narrowed, honing in on the rows of tiny pies.

Kuroo smirked and dared to tug Kenma's waist a bit as he approached the little popup shop.

"Hi there!" The tall cat greeted the baker with his signature cheshire good boy grin. Kuroo had normally reserved that for teachers back in the day or Kenma's mom when they went home to visit her. In Kenma's opinion it actually made him look even more like the ornery shit he was, but somehow people ate it up.

This old lady was no exception.

"Hello young man! In need of a post-hike energy boost?" The woman asked brightly. She had a few wrinkles around her smiling eyes and many streaks of gray throughout her black hair, which was held back by an earthy-toned bandana. Interestingly, she appeared to be relatively fit for her age and for being someone who was selling such carb-heavy goods. 

"Post-kayak boost actually," Kuroo answered with the charm Kenma was thankful he had because it gave him time to scan the options without having to deal with any small talk himself. Kuroo was a good shield to have in pretty much all social situations. Once a blocker, always a blocker.

"Kayaking! How lovely. My husband and I love to kayak down on the lake too. He's out there fishing now actually," the woman replied pleasantly as she watched Kenma visually peruse the vast inventory of sweets and breads.

"Oh, that's cool. What's he usually catch?"

Kuroo never ceased to amaze his boyfriend. Something so simple as a politely vague and open-ended question like that would just _never_ occur to Kenma to ask, especially not to a stranger. If Kuroo were a game character he would probably be a sorcerer or something because he had far too much natural charm, wit, and raw magical talent with people. What's worse is that he _knew_ it. 

Kenma wasn’t sure what he himself would be considered if he had to compare his true persona and nature to a gaming equivalent. Honestly, he'd played too many classes, heroes, races, and professions across so many platforms and genres that he just adapted to whatever was required. Almost like a shapeshifter of sorts. Perhaps in reality he was a crafty rogue type who just silently slipped into whatever and wherever he needed to be. He certainly had scared the shit out of Kuroo enough times by slinking in beside him without a sound.

"Do you have any apple pies by chance?" He heard Kuroo ask, breaking Kenma out of his RL character class musings. 

Kenma glanced up looking more hopeful than he probably wanted to and the woman smiled brightly bending over the inventory of delicious smelling goods.

"Oh my, yes! They are popular though. Only a few left if you want any of them."

She wasn't wrong. There appeared to be three little homemade, individually-wrapped apple pies left.

"Awesome! We'll take them, plus some rainbow trout and cherry salmon please," the bed-headed blocker said handing her a few bills and watching as she opened the cooler beside the stand that Kenma hadn’t noticed. A few cuts of fresh fish were placed into a large ziplock, which went inside a brown paper bag. The tall cat swiped the mini pies with apple stickers on them and thanked the nice lady for his change before they walked back to their car.

Kenma had not expected to find his favorite food all the way out in the middle of nowheresville. 

His mood was already uplifting with anticipation even though he wasn't hungry enough to enjoy them yet. It had been a long time since he'd had any apple pie—probably since his last birthday when Kuroo made it for him. He did that each year. Taking the time in the morning before he woke up to bake it from scratch and cut out cute little shapes to make different scenes on top from the extra dough. Usually they were cats or stars or some other silly thing that he knew would make Kenma smile, and it always did. The house would smell amazing for days afterwards. He loved him for many reasons, but his kindness and thoughtfulness (despite his frequent overdramatics) were among the top qualities that Kenma found the most attractive. 

"Hey Kuroo."

"Hey Ken—" Kuroo tried to answer him with their normal call and return response, but Kenma cut him off as his lips pressed fully against the blocker's, surprising him and tipping the black-rimmed glasses slightly askew.

It was broad daylight as they sat in the still parked Crosstrek rental in the campground parking lot and Kuroo wasn't sure if his boyfriend was insane or just completely overwhelmed with apple pie-induced joy. 

When they pulled apart, Kuroo decided it was both. Kenma sucked his lower lip the tiniest bit before releasing him. 

"Thank you," the small cat said with grateful half-lidded eyes.

"Babe, you are _more_ than welcome," Kuroo grinned naughtily. "But you DO realize people could see us in here if you keep that up, right?"

"It was just one," Kenma countered casually as he leaned back into his own seat and fiddled with the seatbelt.

"Suuuure it was. I think we both know you have more in there," Kuroo laughed, starting the car and side-eyeing his boyfriend affectionately with a toothy grin.

"Well, you'll just have to find out later," the semi blonde said blandly, pulling out the useless hair tie and running quick fingers through multi-colored tresses as he shaked them out. It felt good to be free after enduring Kuroo's slightly obsessive grooming the past few days. He knew that his boyfriend loved his longer hair, but it was becoming ridiculous bordering on annoying. Didn’t he have more pressing things to worry about other than whether or not every little strand was perfectly in place each day? Like bears. Bears would be a much better investment to fuss over at this point.

"Oh hohoho! I intend to Kozume, I intend to," the tall cat chimed as they drove back up to their little mountain hideaway with all the privacy they needed for Kuroo to be reasonably certain in his ability to weasel some more kisses out of his sweet, stubborn kitten.

—

As luck would have it, the sun did make a full appearance through the wispy clouds as Kuroo laid down in the hammock between the pines just beyond the fire pit area and the wraparound cabin deck. He held out a large, veiny hand to his companion who had on arrival immediately changed into more comfortable sweats and a hoodie. The blocker did the same.

Kenma took the offer for stability and tried to gracefully climb into the wobbly hammock on top of his lanky boyfriend. It was harder than it looked, but he also had a pretty good dexterity score so thankfully he managed to roll high enough to get in without kneeing Kuroo in the balls. His smaller frame wiggled around to find the most comfortable position atop the warm folds of the old long sleeve Nekoma shirt and black cotton joggers. 

After a few moments of concentrated particularness and fidgeting, the small cat ended up settling for a half-on and half-off combo with his arms and legs clinging to the tall cat as he laid his head down on his broad chest and breathed in deeply. He always had a familiar clean and musky scent that never failed to relax him. 

Kuroo’s arm slinked around his little boyfriend on one side while the other couldn’t help but swipe a few strands of black and gold behind his ear.

“You’re so handsy lately,” Kenma murmured through a squished cheek that was resting precisely atop a comfortably padded man boob. 

“I have no idea what you’re referring to Kozume-san,” the blocker said softly as he continued to stroke the hair off his tired face. He wasn’t groping him or anything. Not yet at least.

“With my hair,” the former setter continued through a yawn. “You can’t keep your paws off it.”

“I’ve always loved your hair,” Kuroo said a bit defensively. He hadn’t thought he was doing anything different from normal.

“You can’t stop… touching it,” Kenma drifted off into heavier breathing as the sparrows sang in the trees surrounding them. A mockingbird was calling in the distance.

Was that true? 

The bed-headed fool had to think about it. Sure he had tried to manage Kenma’s hair each day before they went out, but he wanted to make sure he could _see_ things depending on the activity. Also, he wanted him to look super cute for all the photos he’d been taking even if he was kind of scowling or deadpanning in half of them. Of course Kuroo loved the sloppy bun look, but if he let Kenma get away with that every day then what fun would that have been? It was a nice change of pace to see him in different styles even if he had to manhandle and argue with him to get it. What was the point of having long hair if he couldn’t play with it sometimes? In all honesty though, it was sexy as hell no matter how he wore it but the blocker definitely enjoyed exploring its full spectrum of capabilities. 

Touching it did calm him though. Maybe he was unintentionally doing more self-soothing than he realized...

As if to prove this point, Kuroo’s hand had unconsciously been petting Kenma’s head as he slept on top of him, his other arm wrapped protectively up his back along his hoodied shoulder blade. This was really nice. Just the two of them swinging lightly in the hammock as a crisp autumn breeze brushed over them, the sunshine streaming through the colorful leaves and pine needles. 

Even though he was pretty much the main cuddle-giver in this situation, Kuroo felt like he was the one being protected. Like Kenma had cast some sort of defensive spell over them and the rest of the world didn’t matter. It was just them alone in this simple moment filled with body heat, rhythmic breathing, and blissful amounts of Vitamin D soaking into the bits of skin that were exposed. The sheer volume of overwhelming love and affection he felt for this person snoozing atop him was absolutely, certifiably insane.

He kissed Kenma’s roots which were the closest part of him he could reach with his lips.

The trip had been sort of rough on his companion, but Kuroo was still so grateful that he came and hopeful for the amazing plans he still had in store for them. So what if they started out kind of rocky, right? Things could only get better from here on out. 

Tonight would be fun assuming they could find the secret spring and tomorrow was the day it would all finally come out. Part of that reality relieved him and another part still felt like there were forty live butterflies trapped inside his ribcage. But it would be okay he mentally promised himself and his unknowing lover. It would be okay because things had always been okay no matter what happened or changed in their lives. He imagined Kenma’s reaction, or non-reaction maybe, and hummed trying to figure out what he would think or do or say. 

Kuroo didn’t sing often, unless it was loudly and poorly (in other words drunkenly) with Bokuto as a joke. However, he did sometimes hum and trickle in a few words to a melody his dad used to sing when he tucked him in at night as a little kid. It wasn’t a formal song or anything, just a simple made-up lullaby that had a particular tune that was conducive to those who weren’t blessed with beautiful vocal cords. He hummed this for Kenma now as his sock and sandaled foot rocked them slowly in the mesh net between the trees and he drifted off into his own peaceful cat nap.

—

The sunlight had shifted when Kenma opened his eyes.

It had probably only been an hour or so, maybe two since they had laid down in the hammock after exhausting themselves on the lake that morning. His arms didn’t hurt yet, but there was a good chance they might tomorrow. Delayed onset muscle soreness was a bitch, but thankfully Kuroo had done most of the heavy lifting with his volley-toned arms and abs. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. 

Kuroo was snoring underneath him, dead to the world and drooling as his mouth hung open a little. Kenma was used to sneaking away from an unconscious boyfriend because he tucked him in bed most nights then went back to his office to game, edit, or peruse social media or forums. This current predicament however was not the usual kiss and slip away situation.

Carefully leaning up off the blocker’s body Kenma stretched and shifted one cautious foot out of the hammock, pausing to see if he caused him to stir. When he realized he didn’t, he slung another sweatpanted leg off and toed his striped cat socks into his sandals on the earthy ground below. 

Maybe Kuroo had been half joking when he mentioned Kenma sneaking off to play his Switch in front of the fireplace, but the gamer took it as a valid and reasonable suggestion. 

As much as he loved Kuroo this was A LOT of togetherness and they hadn’t had much individual downtime so far, which Kenma had been craving but didn’t want to say anything lest it hurt his feelings. So when he’d suggested that they come back to the cabin instead of going out to do another hike the former setter was pretty relieved, but then very, very concerned. Kuroo didn’t usually like to “quit” things halfway, but something was still off with him that Kenma couldn’t riddle out. It was becoming its own quest in a way, or maybe its own case if you looked at it through a forensic lens like the bed-headed idiot often had to.

Exhibit A) Boyfriend. Tall. Sweet. Loud. Sometimes stupid, but doing more alarmingly stupid things as the seasons changed.

Exhibit B) A mysterious, surprisingly well-planned last minute trip to a place that had practically forsaken technology. A coincidence? Not likely. 

Exhibit C) The lies. 

Kenma could normally read Kuroo and his moods like a book, but lately it had been harder to do that because he was keeping more and more to himself for some weird reason. At first, the semi blonde thought maybe he wasn’t feeling great so he’d gone quieter to keep his pain private like he was apt to do. But honestly Kuroo seemed to be perfectly fine health-wise—he was just jumpier and more distracted than he’d seen him be in forever. Before he ever mentioned this trip it was almost like going back to his final year of college exams when he was so stressed out and sleep-deprived that even a slight touch on the shoulder would have sent him into a blind panic spitting out scientific formulas or other medical vocabulary terms. 

Except this wasn’t college and theoretically he shouldn’t have been stressed out OR sleep-deprived, but he WAS telling more and more bald-faced lies to Kenma’s face. The reason he never called him out on them was because he wanted to know _why_ Kuroo was doing it. 

Granted, most of them were harmless, white lies. Things that were inconsequential and probably didn’t need lying about in the first place. Like where he’d been after coming home late from work or what he’d ordered in the numerous packages that had his name and not Kenma’s printed on the labels. Kenma certainly didn’t think Kuroo was doing anything nefarious, but at the same time he was just as perplexed as to what was causing such odd behavior in his boyfriend. So he waited and watched and listened even though he knew he was being fed a half truth or two. It would come out eventually. Kuroo couldn’t hold things for very long with that big mouth of his.

During these musings, the pro gamer had nestled himself nicely beside the flipswitch fireplace after dragging a thick furry blanket from the large wicker basket in the corner along with some extra pillows from the closet in their bedroom. He sprawled his body out on the cozy floor and enjoyed the radiating heat. It was a good nest. A perfect place to curl up with his handheld Switch, which is exactly what he did. Pressing it to life and feeling the rush of familiar electronic music fill his ears. 

He needed this time on his own and secretly he was grateful to Kuroo for giving it to him—even if he resented the fact that his boyfriend was lying about his own reasons for wanting to crash midday. 

Oh well. 

It was true enough right now that he didn’t feel great for one reason or another. Kenma could see that clearly. 

He just desperately wanted to know _why._

—

“It should be up there,” Kuroo said craning his neck to view the entirety of the narrow trail that zig-zagged up the edge of a rock face. 

“We have to climb _that,”_ Kenma groaned eyeing the steep incline that disappeared up into the canopy of autumn trees above.

Earlier that afternoon they had eaten a quick dinner of grilled cherry salmon and zucchini out on the patio and dressed again for this sunset hike Kuroo was so eager to do. They had wandered down through the woods and came out along a massive river gorge full of gigantic boulders and low water. Following the route on Kuroo’s paper map that was pre-marked with a star and squiggles deeper and deeper into the wilderness. The hot spring was supposed to be somewhere close by, although Kenma wondered where his boyfriend had discovered this interesting tidbit of local knowledge.

"You can do it Kenma the Brave," Kuroo kissed his cheek chastely and continued on up the rough but lightly worn trail. 

They hadn't seen anyone in the time spent trekking here and there were also no cars pulled off on the side of the road where they had left their own. Kenma secretly hoped it would stay this desolate.

Fortunately, it only took about five minutes to ascend the switchbacks before they opened up into one of the most beautiful places either of them had ever seen. 

A sizable white waterfall was gushing and bubbling at the far end of a steaming natural hot spring pool. The black and gray rocks surrounding it were flecked with moisture and moss. It wasn't a very large onsen, but it was more than enough for the two of them. And strangely, it felt so intimately private that not even the birds were singing here, just the steady calming roar of the waterfall crashing into the serene pool and the wind rustling the trees around them. Steam plumed up in billowing mists.

Kuroo unceremoniously dropped his backpack and began to strip.

Kenma followed suit albeit more apprehensively. It did seem pretty remote here. What were the odds of anyone else showing up?

"Hoooooly shit, you're gonna love this Kenma," Kuroo practically purred as he stepped into the hot clear water with his black and gray striped swim trunks.

"That good, huh?" Kenma mused with a tiny grin. They probably couldn't even stay in that long then. If Kuroo was nearly passing out at shower-level heat this shit was far beyond his constitution score.

Kuroo slapped the water impatiently beckoning him in with open lanky arms. 

The semi blonde complied, toeing into the water as the swell of heat enveloped him. He took his boyfriend's hand and they slowly navigated their way deeper into the spring, dipping down so that their chests were halfway in the amazing warmth.

"This is so crazy having a place like this all to ourselves," the blocker crooned as he lightly held Kenma's arms and kissed his forehead.

"You missed."

"I what?"

"You missed," the gamer repeated slyly. His fingers found their way up around his boyfriend's neck and hung lazily along his hairline. His own hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun that was getting dangerously close to the water level.

A cheshire grin grew to epic proportions on the bed-headed fool's face.

"A Kuroo never misses," he said darkly as he went in for another kiss on his cheekbone. This time it was even slower and more deliberate.

"Missed again," Kenma commented dryly, but with clear ornery affection masked just below the surface.

"I did not."

"Did too.

"Did _not."_

"Did—"

But Kenma was unable to finish that argument because Kuroo's lips were now crushing against his own with an intensity that felt electric. He melted into them, following their movements with waves of wet heat and pulsing pleasure. His boyfriend's tongue inevitably wound its way in. Lapping against his own with a possessiveness that was occasionally annoying at times, but also incredibly attractive given the current situation. 

Kenma grasped his counterpart's thick, slippery core muscles and tried to break for air, which after a moment Kuroo did allow. Their labored breaths getting lost in the chorus of rushing water.

"Kuroo are you…"

This was a stupid question. Kenma knew it was a stupid question and yet he asked it anyway because he had to confirm that yes, in fact, that was his boyfriend's boner pressing up against his own slightly aroused crotch.

"Maybe," Kuroo said naughtily going in for another round of snogging only to be met with a golden look of silent concern.

"Babe, there's clearly _no one_ here," the tall cat tried to argue convincingly, but only sounded desperate.

"Yea, but that could change in five minutes."

"That's all we need!" 

"Are you _really_ that thirsty?"

"Uh, yea Kenma, I am. Are you not?" Kuroo asked before he splashed his hand down to grope his boyfriend's groin, which was most definitely interested in playing.

"What're you—Kuroo stop, seriously there's no way we can—"

"But we'll be super quick and you saw there was no one else around," the blocker whined grinding himself against Kenma which wasn't helping. "Come oooon, it's so remote and it's not even an official trail. How many people would know to come looking for this? It's like, one in a million odds!"

The former setter sighed taking his lover's face in his hands and squishing his cheeks. His dark eyes unblocked by his glasses at the moment looked so hopeful and pathetic and sweet. He closed his own goldens and kissed him tenderly.

"You have five minutes."

_"Are you serious?"_

"Four minutes and fifty seconds."

Kenma was still worried about interruptions and how sanitary it was to make out in a questionable body of water, but he knew if he gave Kuroo a challenge then he wouldn't back down. Especially not when sex was on the line. Kuroo was a bad influence. Yesterday he didn't even want to be blown outside and now he was giving the tall cat permission to do whatever he wanted out in the middle of a deserted national forest.

Kuroo wasn't about to waste any more of his precious five minutes. He hurriedly recaptured Kenma's lips and immediately thumbed down his swim trunks, not caring where they went after that. He repeated the motion with his own as he pinned the small cat up against a large smooth rock along the pool's edge. They had already been in the water for more than ten minutes so the likelihood that he was soft enough to—yep, he was fine. One finger found its way in with ease and began to gently fuck him until a second one was able to slip in alongside it. Simultaneously, the blocker gripped his companion's length and pumped him up to a pleasurable, steady pace.

Kenma was internally amused that Kuroo was taking this time limit seriously. It did add a whole other exhilarating element to an already super risky frisk. But these thoughts very quickly evaporated because Kuroo was now on his third finger and starting to hit his prostate as they curled and he was absolutely going to come if he didn't stop it.

However the panting roosterhead did stop, but only long enough to align his own erection with the soft opening between his boyfriend's cheeks. He hiked up one thin leg to better position himself and slowly, ever so slowly sunk his head into the gorgeous body below him. 

Kenma saw stars behind his eyelids. 

Kuroo was always a pleasurable fuck, but this was next level. They very seldomly ever had sex without lube and if they did it normally involved a bit of creativity or rimming or both. The one and only time they didn't use hardly _anything_ was sadly their first time (out of naivety), and they were certainly never going to repeat _that_ disaster again. Luckily, somehow the hot spring had relaxed his muscles and softened the tissue enough that it wasn't nearly as painful as he'd initially expected it to be. No lube was still no lube, but this was manageable and still felt amazing as Kuroo pounded into him over and over with a sense of urgency, passion, and purpose.

He could feel Kuroo's muscles tensing above him, the blood running hot through his veins and sweat mixing with steam over the chiseled lines of his form. Kenma thought he was beautiful like this. A wild creature claiming him and loving him with all the brazen intensity he had. 

His cock was brushing against his sweet spot making him arch his back and moan low and greedy. Kenma was so close to coming he could feel it in the pit of his groin as his balls rocked above Kuroo's swift dickwork.

But then he heard it.

"Hahh, K-kuroo, can you—" Kenma stammered trying to find his cognitive abilities again, but his boyfriend was distractedly and dutifully pumping into him like he only had a minute left to score.

 _"Fuck_ , Kuroo. _Kuroo stop!_ " Kenma panted, smacking his palm against the tall cat’s wet shoulder. "Do you hear that?"

"Not the bears again Kenma," Kuroo panted heavily back at him as he slowed his thrusting but didn't stop completely because he was _so, so close_ to bursting...

"It's a not _fucking_ bear. It's _voices,"_ Kenma hissed. 

"I don't hear any—" 

Kuroo had been hoping to shut his beautifully distracted waterboy up so that they could just come already, but then he did hear it. As clear as day. Voices were echoing louder up the narrow, rocky passage they had just taken.

"Oh my god," Kenma tried to shove Kuroo off of him, but the solid blocker did just that—he kept Kenma pinned in place below him against the pool's natural edge, blocking his ability to get up.

"Kuroo, you had better pull out _right the fuck now_ ," Kenma said with high volume traces of nervous panic rising in his tone and eyes. He didn't freak out often, but there was a strong possibility of that happening if Kuroo did not remove his dick from his ass in the next 30 seconds.

Kuroo licked his lips trying to think with less blood in his brain. He was sweating profusely from the hot water and the tango they were in now. The physical exertion of kayaking from earlier wasn't helping either.

"I have an idea."

"Kuroo, _NO._ I don't want your ideas. I want to not get caught fucking each other outside in a hot spring, okay?" Kenma said frantically, his heart pounding madly in his small hyperventilating chest.

"Trust me," Kuroo said before he turned his head back towards the trail.

"OI!" Kuroo called loudly down across the water as the forest carried his echo to the ears below.

Kenma's golden eyes blew wide. Kuroo was fucking insane and now he had definitive proof. 

The former setter tried again to pry himself out from under his boyfriend, but it didn't work. He was too big and too heavy and even if Kenma wasn't exhausted he still probably couldn't move him if the cat man didn't want to do so himself.

"Hello?" A distant call came back from somewhere down below.

"Hey!" Kuroo boomed again. "The hot spring is great! Give us ten minutes and it'll be alllll yours!"

There was a pause and then laughter between two people somewhere probably halfway down the trail.

Kenma stared in horror. How could Kuroo try to pull something so goddamn risky like this? His fully engorged dick was _still_ shoved all the way up his ass and if _those people_ came up here there was no telling—

"Alright! Ten minutes and then we'll be back," a male voice called back up. The pair of murmurs disappeared back down the trail, presumably to give them a private ten minutes instead of eavesdropping.

Kuroo bit his lip hard with a gigantic shit-eating grin plastered across his face as he shook with victory over Kenma like a full body fist pump. 

"Sssss!" Kenma gasped now feeling a sharp pain from Kuroo's sudden movement instead of the intense pleasure that they had had just moments before.

"Shit, did that hurt?" Kuroo asked, now realizing what he had done.

 _"Yes,"_ Kenma managed through gritted teeth.

Kenma was barely even half hard anymore and his muscles just weren't relaxed enough for it not to hurt now. This entire half a minute ordeal of sheer extreme panic and adrenaline had probably shaved off a year of his life minimally.

"I can't, okay? I just can't," Kenma repeated feeling claustrophobic all of the sudden. "Can we please stop already?"

Kuroo looked down at Kenma with deep concern flooding his eyes as he pulled out slowly in order to not do anymore damage. Kenma's hair was a wreck. Even though he had put it up in a bun it had slowly worked its way apart and was now half floating in the water and half splayed across his face. The pale gamer didn't move, but he was still panting deeply. Golden eyes hid painfully behind his long, wet lashes.

Kuroo pulled out as gently as he could, but it still made Kenma's naked body flinch. The rushing sound of the waterfall filled in the tense silence.

"Wait, are you _crying?_ " Kuroo said suddenly, splashing as he stood up on his knees in the water and held his boyfriend by his bare thin shoulders.

 _"No,"_ Kenma said through closed eyes even though, yes, he was. A little bit. 

"Holy crap, did I really hurt you babe?" Kuroo gawked completely horrified, brushing the wet clinging hair off his face with one hand while moving the other to grip his bare bicep through the water.

"I don't know," the former setter whined slightly, biting his lip. "Can we please just go? I don't want them to come back and find us like this."

"Yea, yea. Of course. Here hold my hand getting up. It's slippery," Kuroo said rising naked from the water and clasping a large hand around Kenma's as he pulled him to his feet.

They stepped out of the hot spring into the cool evening hush of autumn air. Toweling off Kenma could see that Kuroo was still mostly hard.

"I'm sorry," Kenma said, feeling guilty that none of this had worked out the way they had planned. 

"Dude, it's okay. Don't worry about it," Kuroo said hiking up his dry cargo shorts and briefs. He shoved his entire hand down into his crotch to shift his engorged flesh back into his pant leg so that it was less obvious.

"I can finish you off at the cabin," Kenma offered, but Kuroo waved a hand as he noodled his head through his tank top. 

"Seriously, it's fine. Let's just go before it gets too dark to find our way back. I think our flashlight is dying for real this time," Kuroo explained hoisting the backpack up onto his shoulders.

Kenma swallowed the lump in his throat. For some reason he was still shaken up. Still felt uneasy even though all things considered Kuroo's impulsive brashness had saved the day. 

Once Kenma was dressed and Kuroo brushed his long locks up into a halfway presentable state they started to make their way back down the rocky cliff trail. They didn't see their intruders until they were pretty much at the bottom of the steep decline.

"You got flashlights?" Kuroo called out to them with genuine friendliness, grinning as he and Kenma stepped off into the softer trail dirt.

It was a young couple, probably only a few years younger than them, who smiled back at Kuroo.

"We got em! Thanks for sharing the spring," the woman said cheerily. 

"Absolutely. It's beautiful up there. Enjoy your night," Kuroo said politely, giving a small wave as he continued past them. 

Once they had walked far enough out of earshot, Kuroo busted out laughing. Sparrows stirred from the evening trees.

Kenma stared at him with perplexed, tired eyes.

"I fail to see what is so funny."

Kuroo didn't stop for another half a minute and by the time he was trailing into giggle territory Kenma had had enough.

"Please stop," the small cat said mildly irritated.

"Woooo boy!" Kuroo chuckled as they got closer and closer to the main trail back. "We are _not_ the only ones looking for a good fuck stop, Kenma. I'll tell you that much."

“How would you know?”

“Oh my god, wasn’t it _obvious?_ They were even pre-gaming when we first started down the rocks.”

“They were?” Kenma said unsure of whether or not Kuroo was just saying that to make him feel better.

“Totally were. Scout’s honor!” Kuroo held up two fingers and put his other hand over his heart. 

Kenma sighed. “Well at least somebody gets to have a good time up there.”

“I had a good time,” Kuroo shrugged casually.

_“How?”_

“What do you mean _how?_ We had outdoor sex in a real hot spring!” Kuroo boasted with genuine pride and naughtiness rolling off his laughter.

“It didn’t really count,” Kenma retorted with disappointment clear in his voice.

“Why the hell not?” Kuroo frowned and looked quizzically over at his boyfriend. “There was dick on butt action Kenma. I think that counts.”

“Yea, but neither of us came...”

“So what? It only counts if you win? That’s stupid. We had a good game even if we lost the match Kenma,” Kuroo said with a surprising amount of applicable volleyball wisdom.

The wind rustled red leaves down from the darkening forest around them.

“I guess you’re right,” the former setter caved.

They eventually made it back up to their little cabin on the mountainside, although it was nearly completely dark once they got up there and the flashlight did in fact die on the way back to their vehicle. The solar garden lights lit the stone path and wooden plank steps up to their safe haven in the wilderness.

“Whoa! Kenma did you see that?!” Kuroo spun around to face the lake on the porch deck before the small cat had gotten a chance to properly unlock the cabin door.

“See what?”

“Oooohh! Look! Look!” Kuroo exclaimed with boyish delight as he pointed out between the mountains over the body of still dark water in the distance.

Kenma squinted for anything that might be out there.

“I don’t see—”

But just then a very faint line streaked across the newborn night sky, reflected back in the mirror of the lake below.

“Ohhh, I didn’t know there’d be a meteor shower,” Kuroo said in hushed reverence as his awestruck mouth hung open dumbly.

The tall lanky cat stood there with his backpack soaking in the spontaneous stroke of cosmic fortune they had stumbled upon. Kenma eyed him then moved around to the backside of the porch where the planks met the dirt next to the fire pit. 

When he returned moments later, he had the two camping chairs from their beer and marshmallow session the night before. The former setter scooted them to the edge of the deck and lightly pushed Kuroo’s chest to get him to sit down, which he did almost as if he was in a hypnotized state. Kenma carefully took the daybag off his back one arm at a time and went inside. 

A few minutes later he came out with a thick quilted cabin blanket over his shoulders and one in his arms. He threw the extra one literally on top of Kuroo, who only shifted enough so that the corner wasn’t covering his view. The semi blonde then curled up in his own chair, blanket draped heavily around him and his sock-covered bare feet as he laid his tired head back and watched Kuroo enthusiastically watch the shooting stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for onsens! I've been wanting to share this chapter in particular from the beginning, so it feels good to finally get it out to you all. 
> 
> So what'd you think? Kuroo's not filled with completely asinine plans all the time is he? I think Kenma has the patience of a saint sometimes lol. Anyway, thank you for reading! It's always reassuring to hear feedback so if you're inclined to do so just know that it's filed away into a special "read later for confidence" box in my mind.
> 
> Up ahead we have more intimate time, some cat fighting, making up, beautiful hiking and explorations, secrets, truths, and some dreadful experiences no one should face alone.


	8. The Night

Kenma wasn't even aware he had fallen asleep until he heard the murmurs of that familiar deep voice and smelled the signature scent which was mixed with heady pine and sweat. He didn't want to open his eyes. He was just so beyond exhausted.

As it turned out he didn't have to do anything because his body lifted up without any effort on his part.

"You are such a sleepy kitty on this trip, aren't you?" He heard the deep affectionate voice ask as the question rumbled in his broad chest, which was warm and comfortable and hopefully not going anywhere. Which it didn't, but it also didn't carry him to the cozy folds of sheets and pillows like he thought he would. Instead, Kenma peeped open one very tired golden eye to see that Kuroo had carried him into the bathroom and was now trying to gracefully set him down in the tub.

"What're you doing…" The small cat could barely even groan he was so completely out of it. 

"Shhh. You never let me go to bed dirty, so I'm not letting you," Kuroo said softly as he peeled his boyfriend out of his layers. It wasn't a spiteful statement, just honest truth. 

Once he was naked, the blocker turned on the bath faucet and waited for it to get warm. Plugging it up once it did so that the hot water could fill in the spaces between all the soft curves and beautiful angles of the skinny body that he loved more than anything. Kuroo stripped himself and got in a moment later, wasting no time lathering up a washcloth with liquid soap. 

Kenma couldn't remember the last time Kuroo had actually bathed him. Sometimes they scrubbed each other down because they were in a frisky mood and one or both of them wanted to get some. It made a good mini game until they fulfilled the main quest in the bedroom, but this felt different. He was so sleepy and the water was so warm and Kuroo's touch so gentle that it just felt… well, loving. Very loving. Like he didn't expect anything, he just wanted them clean before bed because he knew that's what Kenma would want if he was more coherent than he currently was. 

Unfortunately, this level of kindness and affection was incredibly attractive. 

"Kenma…" 

Kuroo really wasn't trying to pull anything here. He was honestly just attempting to get both of them clean enough so that Kenma wouldn't have a hissy fit in the morning about dirty bed sheets and how gross it was to go to sleep with hot spring bacteria multiplying on their skin, but now his boyfriend's cock was stiffening under the steamy water despite his peacefully closed eyes and silence.

As difficult as it was, the tall cat ignored that part for the moment and tried to focus on scrubbing the rest of them clean. Maybe it was just an unfortunate side effect of being touched in sensitive places... Kenma was way too tired to be coherent enough to—

Kenma moaned when the washcloth accidentally brushed over his thigh near his dick.

Shit.

"Babe?" Kuroo asked cautiously. "Are you even awake?" 

The blocker really hadn't intended to get him riled up again...

"Mmhnn," the former setter uttered, barely conscious enough to respond. Everything felt so good, _too_ good. He couldn't help it that his body had decided that, yes, it did in fact want to send blood and desire down to his groin. He could feel it pumping through his organ, filling him out and engorging his flesh before he even knew what was happening. Even though he was exhausted there was still the pulsating urge to finish what they'd started in the other hot body of water a few hours ago. 

And now Kuroo was getting hard from just seeing _Kenma_ get hard. 

Goddammit. 

This made an already awkward situation _more_ awkward if humanly possible. He knew they were safer sitting, or in Kenma's case half laying, in the tub but it was not the largest space and he didn't want to go back on his unofficial no more sexy time in the bathroom rule so soon after he'd made it. Plus, was Kenma even really aware of his boner? Sure he moaned before, but—

A small hand then lightly and blindly found Kuroo's in the water, splashing a tiny bit as it moved his boyfriend's fingers across the soft round belly and guided them to curl around his flushed cock. 

Annnd, now he was at full staff too. Great.

"Kenma," Kuroo whispered seriously. "Baby, we gotta get out. We can't do that in here and you're about to fall asleep."

Kuroo rarely ever called him that. It was only when he was particularly sleepy, sick, or vulnerable that he pulled that out of his repertoire of affectionate pet names.

Which is precisely how Kenma knew his sleepy pouty face would work in this moment. He was _really_ horny courtesy of his stupid sweet boyfriend, so it had to be done. The small cat was absolutely ruthless with it. 

_"Fuck,"_ he heard the deep voice breathe. 

Critical hit? 

"Okay, well, we gotta get out and dry off first. Come on," Kuroo said hastily, splashing water as he stood. 

He pulled the drain plug then stepped out and dried himself off before turning back to his still helplessly exhausted, yet incredibly turned on companion. Large careful hands patted him down through a white fluffy towel as much as they could before they scooped the skinny body up into thickly muscled arms. The towel brushed between his legs on the way up and Kenma moaned again louder this time sending a shock wave of urgency through to the blocker's groin.

The bed-headed fool quickly hiked up the weight of his tired, horny boyfriend and he carefully navigated the awkwardly narrow doorways to get to their bedroom where he laid Kenma's soft, clean body down in the equally soft, clean sheets. The towel splayed out underneath him like a Grecian god waiting to be bedded.

Who was he to deny him, right? 

...Or was this totally taking advantage of his partner's vulnerability? 

But his dick was _full on hard_ and already dripping onto his stomach... He couldn't just ignore _that,_ right? Wouldn't it be neglectful to just… just let it _die?_ Had he ever been so negligent as to just let a yearning, needy boner down like that? Quite possibly, never _._ He was a _responsible_ partner and had unknowingly committed himself long ago to making sure Kenma was comfortable and had everything he needed. Physical desire fulfillment was just one of the countless services he provided as best friend turned lover turned gracefully aging hottie.

"Kuroo…"

The tall cat's ears perked up, shaking him from his doubts and hesitation.

Kenma bent his knee slightly up and open, which shifted himself to hang lower under his righteously flushed length. It was a silent beckoning for him to come closer. For him to touch. For him to enter.

Kuroo couldn't refuse that… could he?

It did take all his self control for him to lay down beside his boyfriend on the bed instead of jumping on him right then and there. The blocker army crawled across the bed to get closer to his sprawled out multi-colored hair and face because he looked like he wanted to say more. His clean, tea tree scent from the bath was intoxicatingly distracting.

"I need you to fuck me," the semi blonde whispered simply in monotone and half-lidded gold. It was still sleepy and blunt, as per usual, but it sent electric sparks tingling throughout Kuroo's body all the same making his already hard dick stiffen more against the sheets.

"You're not too tired? ...Or sore?" He heard his own deep and barely audible voice strain out. 

He did, in fact, really want to fuck him, but he also had a pesky nagging worry in the back of his mind because he still wasn't sure if he’d hurt him earlier in the hot spring, and if so how that would affect things now. Wouldn’t it make it worse if he had screwed up before? The bed-headed fool loved sex as much the next horny whipped twenty-something, but they weren’t _machines_ after all. There were cooldowns for things like this and he didn't want to make him uncomfortable (or worse) if he could help it...

Just then, Kenma took Kuroo's broad hand in his own and pulled it up to his lips to press innocent, reassuring kitten kisses slowly into his palm. Transitioning after a minute or so to folding his not so innocent tongue around the long fingers, saturating them in saliva. He then mirrored his action in the tub and guided the hand down to touch his swollen member, which was already slick and glistening with beads that smeared against his velvet soft skin when he touched him. The small cat's voice hitched in his throat when those large, careful fingers closed around his wanting flesh. He burned for more.

"Finish what you started," Kenma's low voice panted out in a desperate command.

Apparently that was the last bit of confirmation Kuroo needed to lose his self doubts and personal control. The blocker stretched to swipe the lube from the bedside table with his free hand while still clutching his boyfriend's hard-on with the other. 

A moment later there was warm lube spreading like wildfire everywhere across Kenma's stomach, his length, his thighs, his cheeks, and down below the soft folds of his balls as Kuroo once again teased his skillful fingers along his entrance, which was soft and still easily fit his first digit despite its sinking in extra cautiously. He fucked him even more gently than before, moving his hand so that it delicately rocked him and dragged slowly, teasingly against the ridges of his insides. Dark eyes glanced up to his face to see if they could sense any discomfort hidden there.

But Kenma just arched his head back and moaned breathlessly again, this time with even more desperation than he'd had before. More urgency. More heat. He was getting very impatient, which Kuroo couldn't really blame him for but also still didn't want to rush the foreplay just in case. The roosterhead leaned down to plant soft wet kisses along the pale, slippery stomach and then trickled them up his skinny ribcage to the pretty pink nipples above. If he sucked them he was fairly certain this would all be over before Kenma got what he really wanted. Kuroo didn’t want to use a cheat code for this anyway.

Another finger just barely pressed in causing an immediate sharp intake of breath. 

The tall cat froze.

"Don't stop," Kenma panted fiercely, his voice already wrecked and tinged with a neediness he wasn't known for.

"You okay though?" 

Kuroo couldn't help noticing the neediness in his own voice or the slight grimace traced on his boyfriend's features. His fingers were still as they curled inside him, the other half of them braced against his inner thighs while cupping his soft boys in a large, warm palm.

Kenma just nodded with his eyes closed, clutching the towel and the sheets beneath him.

"Please…"

 _Shit,_ they really needed to go on vacation more often. Kenma was literally _never_ this verbal during sex at home and it drove Kuroo all kinds of crazy in the best possible ways.

So the second digit eased in, stretching his entrance out as it gradually slicked back and forth until a third player could join the party causing another shattering, confidence-boosting groan to erupt from the semi blonde’s throat. 

Kuroo was certain his dick was going to explode if he didn't get it in within the next 30 seconds. He wasn't a strong man when it came to Kenma, especially an ego-lighting, moaning, and begging sort of Kenma. At home he rarely got this sexually demanding, which left Kuroo to be the designated horndog following and clinging to him around the house. The change of pace was refreshing to say the least.

"Fuck me," his boyfriend bluntly pleaded again in a whispered gasp. It wasn't an order exactly, but an ego-boosted Kuroo was more than happy to comply none-the-less.

The blocker squirted out some more lube and slicked his own thick and throbbing erection up and down until he was sure he had enough for this to feel fucking incredible based on his calculations of how thirsty Kenma was, how easily he'd loosened up again, and how rock hard his own impatient dick had become waiting. His much bulkier, well-toned body braced the bed above his lover as he angled himself over the thinly chiseled hips and thighs. He gripped a hip bone with one huge palm while the other guided his eager cock underneath the warm balls and along his shiny lubricated cheeks until he found his entrance again. Pressing his impressive flushed head inside ever so gingerly.

To Kenma's extreme annoyance, his own breath hitched, which made his boyfriend stop again _._

"You _sure_ you're okay?" The husky deep voice shuddered out, wrecked with desire, but still coherent enough to care. He had control after all, sort of, so there was no reason he couldn't just switch gears now and jerk them off together if he had to. He was talented like that.

But Kenma just clutched the wide tan-lined hips and love handles above him, pulling down weakly in a silent plea. He wanted, _needed_ , this so bad that he didn't care if it hurt a little to get it.

After a moment’s hesitation, the blocker continued and eased himself deeper and deeper into his companion until the base of his cock was pressed completely up against the squished skin below him. They both panted for a moment, lost in the dizzying euphoria of two becoming one. 

Kuroo pulled back and then pumped into him lazily at first, capturing his soft lips in a tender kiss that turned wild as Kenma tongued him back to up the ante. The sun-glazed, built figure eventually picked up the pace. His abs clenching taut as he thrust earnestly into his boyfriend's pale, lithe form until the sizable bed was rocking steadily under the weight of them. The slick sliding sounds of their friction and frantic skin-to-skin mixed with the uncontrollable moans and grunts and breaths between their tangled tongues. Kuroo fucked and kissed him sincerely with every fiber of deep affection, love, and respect that he had for this beautiful, intelligent, funny, sweet, sassy, and incredible man. He was making love to him like this was the last time they ever would, because one never knew what tomorrow would bring and he had to be like that if he wanted to live his life to the fullest. 

Kenma was lost in the high of pleasure and pain. He tried to keep his legs open and steadily braced against the sheets, but they were shaking a little and kept slipping along with his coherency. Kuroo was beginning to buck into him harder just like he'd wanted, hitting his oversensitive prostate in glorious rapid succession. However, there was something different about this that he couldn't quite wrap his sex-high head around. He first felt it when the blocker's fingers were inside him, but he didn't question it because he needed this release so badly it hurt. God, it hurt.

Kuroo's thrusts became more intense and purposeful as he ground himself against the awesome, incredible beauty that was Kenma's ass. His chiseled core muscles tight with concentrated tension as his cock revelled in the seemingly tighter than usual space between his boyfriend's legs. Suddenly, but not surprisingly, he felt the electrifying jolt of ecstasy burst up through his loins, down his thick shaft, and out into the warm, wet place deep inside his lover. His body stuttered in its attempts to release it all. A hot second later he heard Kenma moan long and deeply satisfied as he emptied between their stomachs, spilling his own sweet, pearly seed in a few uneven jerks of blissful pleasure. He left a crime scene of passion and lust in smeared pools between their bellies.

For a moment, they stilled. The only movement being their heaving, labored breaths as they laid naked and entwined on their cabin bed.

Kuroo shifted to see if he could catch Kenma's cute coming down face like he usually did, but was horrified when he noticed once again that there were tears leaking from the corners of those pinched golden eyes. Before they had barely been noticeable, but these were much more pronounced as they rolled down the sides of his temples.

"Kenma? Holy crap, are you okay? Did I hurt you? Oh my god—I did, didn't I? _Fucking shit,"_ the blocker swore dropping his bedhead in self-disgusted aggravation and extreme guilt.

The former setter didn't understand where he was getting that idea from until he opened his eyes and a few more tears blinked out. He didn't even realize he'd been crying. What the hell?

But then Kuroo shifted to pull out above him and he understood. He just couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. 

"Ahhckk!" Kenma hissed as his boyfriend withdrew. 

Without the high from his euphoric erection and prostate pleasure all that was left was an aching inside him. Maybe it was pain from before or maybe it was fresh from their fuck just now, but it was sharp when he breathed too deeply and dull but throbbing as Kuroo's cock retreated.

"Oh my god…" He heard the bed-headed fool utter under his breath along with a few more choice curse words as his lanky body moved up and away from him. 

That's when he felt a gush of fluid leave him and he was certain it wasn't just Kuroo's happy juices and lube. 

Kenma dipped his fingers down between his legs and when he drew them up again, they were smeared with the pink traces of blood.

—

It took Kenma a long time to get Kuroo to stop freaking out that night.

Rightfully, the tall cat was upset that Kenma hadn't told him to stop or said _anything_ to indicate that he was hurting at all despite numerous pauses and concerns on Kuroo's part. But he was even more upset that he himself didn't "just know" to stop, as if he should have been able to magically read his boyfriend's mind (or his ass in this case). It was ridiculous on many, many levels. 

Regardless, Kenma knew he fucked up. 

"Kuroo… Please stop sulking…" Kenma murmured softly to the back of the fluffy black hair that had been ignoring him for the past three minutes as they laid still together in the dark bedroom.

"It was my fault for not saying anything... There was no way you could have known," the former setter continued quietly to his boyfriend's cold shoulder. It had taken about twenty minutes before Kuroo had stopped flipping out and panicking, and more than half of that time Kenma had used to lock his crazed lover out of the bathroom and clean himself up. It actually didn't bleed very much at all and stopped pretty quickly, although the blocker's attitude did not.

"Kuro…" The small cat pleaded, using the old subtle nickname from their childhood in hopes that it would soften his mood. 

To be honest, Kenma did feel a little guilty for his selfishness. 

Although it _was_ pretty hot sex. And he really didn't regret doing it other than the fact that his salty bed-headed companion was having a fit and acting like a lump of brooding panther scorned in the sheets beside him. Kuroo still wasn't responding, which was worse than just him yelling and them both hashing it out like they had the night before with the shower bullshit. At least things got resolved that way. The silent treatment was far worse coming from the man who had smartass comebacks and quips for literally any situation. 

It meant he was _really_ upset.

"Don't be like this," the semi blonde muttered on the pillow beside him, reaching cautious fingers over to lightly scratch his favorite spot behind his ears. Kenma knew his weaknesses well. The apologetic friction eased some of the tension out of his companion's broad bare shoulders.

There was silence for a moment as the darkness pressed heavier in on them. Only the glow from their charging phones could be seen since the moon had all but disappeared from the night sky out their wide lakeview window.

"You haven't called me that in ages," a deep, husky voice murmured from the other side of the blocker’s wall.

Now they were getting somewhere. 

Kenma bit back his small, sad smile.

"We grew up." 

Flashbacks of Kuroo in all stages of his ridiculous roosterhead haircut and volley-bruised body filled Kenma’s mind. He loved what they had now, but sometimes he missed the simplicity of those times when they were kids and teenagers. Although this mild yearning immediately diminished when he remembered how incredibly painful his social anxiety and panic attacks had been back then. It was nothing short of amazing that Kuroo had loved him through all of that awkwardness.

"No we didn't," Kuroo protested flatly, breaking him from his chain of memories. He sounded defiant. Bitter.

"Yea, we did," Kenma shot back before he could stop himself. Force of habit.

"Nope."

“Yea-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

"Kuroo."

"Kenma."

The gamer was satisfied that he at least got him sarcastically back talking like normal, but something was still off.

"Grown-ups don't hide shit like that from each other."

The former setter paused his absent-minded ear scratching at the back of the black fluffy mess. He felt the sudden strong urge to whack his boyfriend’s big dumb head, but rolled high enough to resist it. Although he clearly took issue with the flaming hypocrisy, Kuroo had a point.

"I agree with that," the small cat said quietly.

"Kenma, don’t even try to—wait. What?” Kuroo finally rolled over towards him unsure of whether or not he’d heard him correctly. 

“I agree with you,” Kenma stated again, staring back with serious golden cat-like eyes. His face tinted in shades of cabin darkness. “We shouldn’t keep things from each other. It’s not fair.”

Kuroo looked like he was puzzling something out in his head, like he was connecting dots that Kenma couldn’t see.

“Right. Yea. So… you’ll tell me next time and I’ll tell you... That way no one gets hurt or feels mega stupid,” the lanky blocker said quietly as he reached for Kenma’s hand somewhere in the sheets beside him. When he found it he squeezed and brought it up to his lips to kiss lightly. 

"No more secrets,” the gamer agreed, carefully watching his boyfriend’s visage in the dim charging light, but before he could catch anything Kuroo buried his face in Kenma’s Zelda tank-topped chest.

“No more secrets,” the blocker echoed into the rib cage that pulsed with the beating heart that meant so much to him. 

Kenma sighed through his nose and brought his skinny arm up to wrap protectively around the bulky, long cat curled against him. The blocker was blazing warm, which was always welcome but he was also still sulking to some extent—just now he was doing it in between Kenma’s tiny triforce man boobs.

“I’m sorry,” the semi blonde murmured above his boyfriend’s ear along his tossed and hopeless bedhead. 

He felt the moody panther take a deep breath against him.

“I know,” Kuroo’s muffled reply came from his chest. 

Kenma brushed a few dexterous fingers through the black fluffy tresses nuzzling into him.

“...But we’ll always forgive each other, right?”

This question was odd to Kenma. 

“What do you mean?”

“Like at the end of the day,” Kuroo explained hesitantly slow. “We’ll make sure to come clean and then forgive each other like we always do.”

It sure sounded like he had something heavy weighing on him, but Kenma guessed they weren’t going to crack open that quest chain tonight.

“Sure,” Kenma agreed carefully, trying to strategize how he wanted to make his next point. “Although I don’t think you ever come clean. You’re as filthy as they get.”

At this, Kuroo snapped up, balking in the dark at his companion.

“WHAT? I _literally_ just made the responsible adult-ass decision to scrub us both clean of likely breeding hot spring legionella and naegleria and _you're_ calling _me_ the filthy one?” 

“Shhh!” Kenma tried to hush him as a huge uncontrollable grin spread across his face.

“Don’t you ‘shhh’ me Kozume! I think you’ve gone and earned yourself punishment for your treason,” Kuroo announced as he launched into a full scale tickle assault, firing off his wiggling finger attacks into the areas he knew Kenma was the most vulnerable. This included his rib cage, sides, armpits, and neck.

“Stop. Stop! _Stop!_ Kuroo, _d-don’t!”_ The gamer involuntarily laughed trying to roll away, but epically failing at that as he got twisted up in the covers. He did however manage to land one solid counterattack ninja kick to Kuroo’s shin before the big panther swung his lanky arms around him completely, effectively ending the battle and capturing him in one giant bear hug.

Kuroo kissed his forehead swiftly like a feline who had just sparred, won, and now claimed total victory by licking its opponent’s head.

“You need to be nice to me,” Kuroo said matter-of-factly, still not letting go as the small cat squirmed in protest to no avail.

“Now why would I do that?” Kenma asked bluntly with an edge of sarcasm and orneriness. 

“Because I’ve got one of the best days ever planned for you,” Kuroo’s dark eyes gleamed in the dim night’s shadows as he said this.

“Do you now?” The former setter mused skeptically. 

“I do,” the rooster-headed fool boasted smugly, gripping him tighter as if that helped to make his point. Kuroo was so stupid sometimes it ended up being more adorable than annoying. (The keyword here being “sometimes.”)

“You’re all talk, Tetsurou,” Kenma point blank called him on his bullshit. Oddly, he often used his boyfriend’s given name for this unique purpose.

“You’ll see then. I’ll prove it to you,” Kuroo promised earnestly, relaxing his vice grip some and placing a soft, honest kiss on his cheek. “Now go to sleep you filthy animal.”

“Alright. Don’t wake me up then. I can’t do any more of this ass crack of dawn nonsense,” Kenma yawned grinning ever so slightly as his fingers stilled once they entwined with his boyfriend’s under the sheets between them.

“Anything for you babe,” the tall cat replied sincerely as he gave the semi blonde one more head nuzzle before he finally buried his face between the extra pillows in accordance with his nightly ritual of screwing up his hair.

With that, they fell asleep more or less feeling like things had evened out between them. While Kenma still sensed that there were other issues lurking beyond his companion’s willingness to tell him, he let it go for now. Patience had served him well in business, in games, and in life in general, so he would wait for his sneaky, distracted boyfriend up to a point. Where that invisible line was he couldn’t say because he’d never been pushed (by Kuroo at least) over it. In all likelihood he had far more slack in Kenma’s reputation karma bank than he probably deserved, but he loved him and that’s part of the stupid concessions one makes for the people they love. Kenma did, after all, truly believe that Kuroo would tell him when he meant to tell him, and that if he wasn’t saying anything yet he must have a good reason for it.

...Or at least he better have one. 

Because the hard reality was that lies hurt so much more the longer they were kept. So either this something was big, _real_ _big_ , or Kuroo was making a huge fucking mistake.

—

There were birds calling back and forth to one another in constant twittering debate for the four whole minutes Kenma refused to open his eyes.

After some internal struggle on whether or not to go back to sleep, he hazily peeked open one golden eye. It was drawn to the bright shining light filtering through the clear window pane of their cabin bedroom. Grateful that it wasn’t dark or dawn, he shifted over lazily in bed reaching out for any part of a certain somebody to cling onto.

Only he found nothing.

The gamer opened both eyes now blinking in confusion at the empty space beside him. 

No Kuroo. 

Although he had bothered to make his side of the bed, which greatly contrasted the tangled mess of sheets Kenma currently had himself wrapped up in. Maybe they really were taking it easy this morning? The thought excited him and produced enough energy to sit up and check his phone.

9:36 AM. Three messages, a record number of viewers on his last playthrough video, mopey subscribers wondering when he was going stream next, supportive subscribers telling them to lay off because everyone deserves a vacation once in awhile especially Kodzuken, a few thousand hearts on the photo of the lake he had uploaded yesterday, and some work emails he wasn’t supposed to be checking but now that Kuroo wasn’t around he snuck them in anyway. 

Kenma quickly replied to the ones that he could since it was Monday and his BB Corp partners and crew were all working. He also sent a thank you to his virtual assistant for taking care of all the urgent things while he was out. Of course there had to be a least one text wall request, which ended up being from his publicist. There was no way in hell he was going to read through right now so he moved on to an email from his life coach who was gently admonishing him for checking email while he was on vacation (it was scary how well she was getting to know him). She encouraged him to try to maximize his relaxation time away with Kuroo-san (he snorted at this) because a rested mind would equal a productive and creative one later on. 

Sighing at her probable wisdom, the semi blonde tucked a few strands of his long, matted hair behind his ear and opened his texts.

_Mom《6:41》: I know you’re not awake yet sweetie, but I hope you’re having fun with Tetsurou and enjoying your time away! Can’t wait to hear about your trip. The lake looks stunning! <3 Love you kiddo. _

It had been too long since Kenma last saw his mom and he felt a little guilty for not cluing her in when he’d agreed to come on this last minute excursion, but her message did make him smile. He sent her back a selfie he had Kuroo take with his long ass arms in front of the bright orange and red foliage along the lake with the mountains in the distance and promised her he’d call sometime that week after they got back. 

The other two messages were in a different chat app, both from Kuroo.

_Kuro《9:09》: Good morning sunshine kitty! :3 Did you enjoy sleeping in??_

_Kuro《9:10》: Meet me outside when you’re ready to start our last epic boyfriend-level quest!_

God he was such a weirdo. A lovable weirdo, but still a weirdo. 

Kenma made to swing his legs off the bed, but flinched when he realized he was still sore from yesterday’s... activities. His arms ached a bit from the kayaking and his lower extremities were predictably a little beaten up from the hot spring and after dark bedroom time. Gritting his teeth he got up stiffly knowing full well that he’d brought this on himself. Despite that, he figured he probably wouldn't have made different decisions even in hindsight (other than maybe not falling for Kuroo’s ‘there’s no one here babe’ BS at the waterfall). 

The gamer slouched to the bathroom where he took a quick piss and decided not to mess with his hair until after he knew what they were doing today. Kuroo had said something stupid yesterday about making him wear space buns because they were “super cute,” which at the time Kenma had vehemently protested—but now with his boyfriend’s mood swings getting more severe he wasn’t sure what he would have to do in order to press the reset button on his attitude. Space buns... fucking _why?_

When the half black, half blonde haired man stepped out into the main cabin he noticed that Kuroo wasn’t there either. The kitchen was clean and empty, as was the table by the lake window and the sofa and chairs by the fireplace. It was eerily quiet save for those too happy birds still singing outside. Kenma lightly retrieved his Switch from the pile of blankets and pillows in front of the sleeping fireplace and shrugged one of the lighter weight striped and tasseled throw blankets over his bare shoulders to stave off the tinge of briskness in the air. He sniffed as he plopped himself down on the couch, pressed his poor neglected device to life, and folded his equally bare legs up to his chest.

There was barely enough time to even start his dailies before a loud something banged against the kitchen table window, startling him enough to drop his Switch on the cushion below.

Kuroo’s big dumb face was pressed up against the glass smiling like it wasn’t super gross to smash his pores on a dirty window. He was going to break his glasses if he kept this idiotic crap up.

Kenma deadpanned at him and immediately went back to his game.

A moment later, the front door opened.

“Oi! Babe, are you ignoring my texts? I told you to come outside!” The lanky blocker chided him with a huge devilish smirk already plastered on his face. He was equipped in full hiking gear along with an old MSBY Black Jackals hat Bokuto had given him a few years back when he scored a shit ton of free giveaway swag. The gamer had reluctantly attended their final matchup with Kuroo, but only because he wanted to see Shouyou kick his salty boyfriend’s butt for once. Sometimes it was inconceivable to him why those two stuck it out when they argued more than even him and Kuroo did, and Shouyou always seemed to come find his old Nekoma friend whenever it got really bad. 

Kenma huffed from his cozy spot on the couch.

“You said when I was ready,” he stated bluntly, not looking up from his herb grinding in game.

He could _feel_ Kuroo frown at this.

“Oh, well, okay. I guess I’ll have to eat allllll of this delicious homemade brunch by myself then!”

With that, the bed-headed fool turned on his hiking sneakers and shut the door. 

As if to chastise him further, Kenma’s stomach growled encouraging him to follow his party member outside in search of this mythical thing called brunch.

Groaning to himself, the former setter got up (blanket cape and all) with his game still on singing in low chiptune as he padded barefoot out the door after his boyfriend. 

It wasn’t as cool outside as he thought it’d be since the sun was shining through scattered clouds that dotted the blue sky above. The lake was still and sparkling down in the valley below and Kenma could smell the delicious scent of grilling fish in the breeze. He ventured around the side of the deck to the small picnic table that was immaculately covered with perfectly-sized portions of all their favorite sorts of breakfast foods: furikake sesame rice, slices of bright yellow tamagoyaki omelette, miso soup with freshly cut green onions and tofu, grilled rainbow trout with a mirin soy sauce glaze, a steaming hot chocolate with a melting cat marshmallow for Kenma in one of the cabin’s cheesy “Life’s better in the mountains” mugs, black instant coffee in Kuroo’s travel thermos, and most importantly the beautiful little personally-sized apple pies from that vendor lady down at the campground yesterday.

Kenma’s mouth was hanging open slightly as Kuroo peered up through his rooster fringe and flipped another piece of trout on the grill. 

“Welcome to your culinary adventure my sweet little sourpuss!” 

The semi blonde carefully approached, staring in slight disbelief at the impressive spread. Just _how long_ had Kuroo been cooking for? Why was there no mess in the kitchen even? If he needed any more proof that Kuroo was a sorcerer then there was no reason to look further than this.

When Kenma’s slumped shoulders were close enough, Kuroo turned and pulled him into a one-armed side hug kissing the top of his bed-frazzled black roots.

“Is this what we’re doing today?” The blanketed gamer asked evenly.

“What do you mean? Eating? Yes, we’re eating today,” the blocker snarked. “This is just part one of our quest Kenma.”

Kenma wiped his face with his palm, declining to comment and allowing Kuroo to steer him towards the bench with the hot chocolate and tiny ceramic bowl that held two pills. He frowned disdainfully at them.

“You can’t tell me you’re not sore so just take them for once, okay?” Kuroo said seriously with his hand still on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“They don’t work…”

 _“Kenma._ They _do_ work. Certifiably, chemically, scientifically they work. You just forget about whatever you took them for by the time they finally kick in,” the tall cat scoffed patting his back once before he got back to his grilling.

Kenma seriously doubted this. He continued to glare at them.

“We’re only going to do more walking today so you might as well hock the pre-game healing babe.”

Knowing he was defeated for the moment, Kenma bitterly swallowed the pills with a swig of water from Kuroo’s gigantic water bottle.

“How do you even know if I’m up for hiking today?” The hunched blanket cat asked quietly as he eyed the mini apple pies. It looked like Kuroo had already heated them on their tiny serving plates. 

“Are you not up for hiking today?” The science freak cocked his roosterhead to the side and looked at him curiously through dark rimmed frames. His face now lit with concern.

“...No, I’m fine I guess.”

“You guess? That’s not really a strong vote of confidence Kenma,” Kuroo said as he tonged the last of the trout off the grill and onto a plate. He turned it off and came over to sit down.

“I’m okay. It’s just… a lot of physical activity,” Kenma explained after he’d inched the pie over to himself and picked up the tiny dessert fork.

“Well SOME of those physical activities were beyond standard recreational purposes.”

“Oh shut UP. You liked it too.”

“Yea, I _really_ liked the part where I was a shit boyfriend for plowing you down when your ass needed to chill the hell out.”

“Can we not do this?” Kenma shot back, glancing up as he sunk his fork into the soft layers of deliciousness that he had so been looking forward to without the extra side of sass.

“Do what? What’re we doing?” Kuroo asked in faux innocence as he focused on arranging the small bowls and plates in front of him. 

“We’re not blaming you for what happened last night and we’re not talking about it anymore because we already settled it. You need to let things _go_ ,” the gamer insisted as he took a glorious mouthful of his all-time favorite treat.

“That’s so easy for you to say after you’ve been coached by the legendary Miho-san. That chick is as zen as it gets and you never had this hippy-dippy ‘let it go’ attitude before—”

Suddenly Kuroo stopped fussing with his chopsticks and rice as he heard the fork clatter against the plate across the table. When his dark eyes glanced up they widened taking in the image of Kenma clutching his throat with one hand, both eyes shut in deep concentration, while the other hand was frozen in midair from the missing utensil. His face was rapidly flushing shades of red as his lips began to swell and gasp for air.

“Holy fucking _shit!”_ Kuroo cursed, diving across their brunch and knocking countless dishes over as he clawed open the miniature pie with his bare hands to reveal gooey slices of cinnamon-spiced apple... and motherfucking _walnuts._

“Ohmigod, _ohmigod, OHMIGOD,”_ the blocker chanted in full blown epic panic as he threw himself up from the picnic table, knocking more of the dishes over and tripping as he tried to sprint across the deck. He slammed open the cabin door and bolted through the entranceway, shoes and all, crashing into the dining area which held their backpacks and other travel gear. Kuroo tore through Kenma’s brand new daybag throwing the miscellaneous hiking items he’d packed onto the table or the floor without discretion in order to locate the epinephrine auto-injector that was _supposed_ to be in here, so _WHY wasn’t it?_

“For chrissakes, where the _fuck—”_ Kuroo began to swear again before he remembered to check the front pouch. Frantically his crazed fingers ripped open the second zipper and felt around blindly for the familiar cylindrical shape that they always carried with them, but he prayed they wouldn’t ever have to use again. 

For two horrible seconds, Kuroo thought maybe it had fallen out or never been put back in his bag, but this immediately vanished once he finally clenched hold of the syringe.

He ricocheted lightning fast back out the front door and around the deck to find Kenma now on the ground half leaning on the table bench as he struggled to breathe. With his long hair pulled to the side, Kuroo could see hives spreading down his wheezing neck.

Kuroo dropped to the planks beside him and tore off the safety cap before he braced Kenma’s bare leg below his briefs with shaking fingers. This time he didn’t hesitate to plunge the needle directly into the soft flesh of his pale thigh.

The blocker held it there for a few seconds, wildly flicking his dark framed eyes up to his boyfriend’s reddened face and then back down to medicine. Once it was all in, he chucked it carelessly to the side and began to press his large thumbs into the skin around the injection site. Forcefully working the adrenaline into his muscles in an effort to get it to spread faster and stop the anaphylaxis. 

Kuroo was so completely and utterly terrified. 

Had he been fast enough? Would it work like it had last time years before? Did he check the goddamn expiration date when he packed it? Should he call an ambulance? Were there even hospitals around here? Why hadn’t he checked to see where the closest medical facilities were? Why was he so stupid not to ask if any of that shit had nuts in it like he normally would? Why in the _ever-loving_ _fuck_ were there walnuts in an apple pie? It didn’t _need_ walnuts, it was apple _freaking_ pie for crying out loud!

Just then, Kenma’s airway seemed to open up as he gasped loudly and sputtered coughing hard into the slats of wood below them. 

“Oh my god,” Kuroo echoed his earlier sentiment, reaching for the multi-colored head that he pulled to his chest in pure blissful relief. His heart was pounding the world over in its thoroughly mortified state.

Kenma patted the tan arm awkwardly as he melted into Kuroo’s embrace. His head was spinning with dizziness as he tried to catch up on the last minute or so of stunted breathing. He felt like he could get sick, but there was hardly anything in him so it wasn’t like that could really happen to much effect. Kuroo was holding onto him like he would die if he let go, but really it had been just the opposite a moment before. 

The small cat suddenly felt extremely grateful to his companion for always knowing the right thing to do and how to do it when it really mattered.

They sat still like that for some time as the world carried on around them. Birds continued to chatter, the breeze played lightly in the autumn-tinged trees, and the clouds rolled in to block the sun with cheeky persistence.

“It’s alright,” Kenma finally choked out in a strained voice. His free hand was palming around for the blanket that had fallen off him, which Kuroo snatched and wrapped around his shoulders without letting him go.

“It’s not alright Kenma, you almost—” The blocker said seriously even though he was unable to finish that sentence. His face pinched in disbelieving agony.

“No, I didn’t. You had it under control Kuroo.”

Kenma leaned his forehead against his chest still attempting to will the dizziness away by sheer stubborn force. His long barely blonde hair acting as a privacy tent, which was one of the reasons he kept it like this other than his laziness.

He heard his boyfriend sniff loudly and prayed to god that he wasn’t crying even though he knew he was. Kuroo was a whole lot more emotional and feely about things in general despite his good-natured silliness and seemingly-carefree attitude. It wasn’t that Kenma didn’t _ever_ cry (for emotional reasons that is), but it was exceedingly rare because he had learned early on to shove his feelings far down inside himself so that he didn’t have to feel much at all. Therapy and coaching over the years had helped him come up with better ways of handling stress and anxiety, but Kuroo never had either of those things. What he did have was an amazing dad growing up who never wanted him to be ashamed of having feelings, so just like when he was happy and on top of the world with overflowing confidence, pride, and unabashed stupidity he felt the extreme inverse in times of crisis or depression. 

“Kuroo, look at me,” the former setter said seriously.

With a shaky breath dark framed eyes connected with gold. There was so much fear in them.

“I’m fine, okay? You did good. Thank you,” Kenma said quietly, trying to let his sincerity rise above his insistence. 

“I didn’t ‘do good,’ Kenma. I served you up a goddamn poison apple pie and didn’t even think twice about it,” Kuroo spat with his lip curled in disgust. He hated himself for being so distracted that he had let _this_ happen. He had just been so, so nervous and excited about making sure all of this had been planned and thought out so that everything would be amazingly _perfect,_ but that had just made him fuck up basic shit like this over and over again. The tall cat was also fairly certain that Kenma had totally noticed more of his fuckups and he just wasn’t calling him out on it. 

But this was a _very_ dangerous misstep. 

More dangerous than booking all of this in advance and betting that Kenma would say yes. More dangerous than screwing up his ankle at the gym and hiding it so that they could go on the trip. More dangerous than picking a fight with homophobic thugs in a public setting. And even more dangerous than almost passing out in the shower with the possibility of his dick being annihilated in the process. He felt SO bad and so disgusted with himself that he was now officially observing the title of ‘bad boyfriend’ because that was the only thing that fit anymore. How could he be more than that? He’d essentially served his lover, his best friend in the _whole world,_ lukewarm death in a brunch-colored disguise on the _one_ day that was supposed to be so special and so life-changing and so beautiful and _he’d completely ruined it._

He hated himself for that. He hated himself for all of this.

“I can’t do this,” Kuroo blinked back the fresh tears in his eyes as he stared out at the distant lake below them. He hadn’t let go of Kenma.

“You can’t do what?”

“All of it. Let’s just go home. I can’t put you through any more of this.”

With that, Kenma knew for certain that this trip wasn’t an accident and it wasn’t by chance. This meant more to Kuroo than he could fathom in this moment, and he was willing to abandon it all for his sake at the drop of a coin.

But that wasn’t going to work for him.

“No,” Kenma said simply, to which his heartbroken boyfriend just shifted his gaze and stared in defeat at.

“We have to complete the quest Kuroo. You promised.”

They had to. 

He had to know what all of this meant and where he could find the source of those countless little lies that were building up and starting to tear him apart more than any stupid walnut could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That felt like a lot. Was it? They're a mess I'll tell you that much. This one was definitely a bit more challenging trying to balance out perspectives and the fun stuff vs the hard stuff. That and dealing with the actual ramifications of this pandemic put me a little behind, but hopefully the longer uncut chapter makes up for it! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking it out with these two sweet knuckleheads. The adventure is far from over (if Kenma has anything to say about it that is) as they navigate through their relationship, the wilds, and Kuroo's increasingly obvious web of deception.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think and you'll earn shiny Kuroken karma coins that you can cash in for Furudate's timeskip Kuroo (or you know, more fics on here). Hope you're all doing well and staying safe!


	9. The Snow

The truth was that Kenma had said no before. 

Like… a lot. 

Usually it was woven into conversation or in passing after a casual comment from Kuroo.

_"You know what you could do? You could totally marry me Kenma."_

_“Kenma. Marry me.”_

_“You know, I would make a DAMN fine husband.”_

_“Don't you think it would be cool to be all cute and gay and old together like them?"_

_"You're going to wish you'd married me when you had the chance Kozume!"_

_"Kenma. Kenma. Kennnmmaaaa… Husband meeee."_

To which Kenma would often respond with disinterest, sarcasm, or “the look.”

_"Please stop."_

_"Kuroo, don't."_

_"Oh my god."_

_"Kuroo. Please."_

_"Will you cut it out?"_

_"In your dreams."_

Dreams. Yea. That's what Kuroo thought too after floating the idea pretty frequently over the past four years. Sure, none of those had ever been very "serious" attempts at proposing, but it still started bruising his ego to hear some version of "no" literally every single time he gauged or broached the subject at all. In fact, even in his most serious attempt at asking to date, Kenma shot it down.

"When are we going to just bite the bullet and do this?” Kuroo had asked at Daichi and Suga’s wedding over a year ago. He’d even been holding one of the Daisuga twins when he said it, staring at the baby that laid sleeping in his rolled-up white dress shirt arms atop his "good" slacks. He hazarded a cautious glance over to catch Kenma's reaction through his dark frames and fringe.

The semi blonde had been sitting beside him, all cleaned and suited up too, nursing a fruity virgin punch and scrolling on his phone while the wilder folks were dancing and laughing and boozing their way through the reception.

"Do what?" Kenma asked absent-mindedly, not looking up from his device.

 _"This,"_ Kuroo gestured with his eyes and roosterhead at the decorated outdoor space around them. It included the beautiful white-topped canopy tent they were sitting under, which was all lit up with fairy lights and fireflies in the summer evening's dusk. The tables were set with lovely wildflowers and natural accents along with simple, elegant dinnerware. All the crows from Karasuno were over by the gigantic hydrangea blooms in the garden getting their candid shots taken by the photographers, so Kuroo had offered to hold one of the babies while the other twin was off with someone else. The sweet little infant had curled her teeny tiny hand around his ginormous finger as she drifted off peacefully for him on his slightly bouncing knee.

Kenma made a face at him.

“This?” He asked skeptically, his nose wrinkled and eyebrow cocked.

“Yea, Kenma. This.” Kuroo said gazing back at him with serious dark grays. 

“Yea, we’re never doing this,” the former setter said bluntly, turning back to his phone without a second thought.

 _We’re never doing this._

Those words haunted him. So much so that Tetsurou found himself on Akaashi’s home therapy couch not two weeks later trying to wrap his head around it.

“Did he outright say it?” Akaashi asked in his soft, calm voice as he pulled a book down from his office’s tidy collection of volumes, photos, and trinkets. 

“Outright say what? _‘No, Kuroo I don’t want to marry you.’_ No, he didn’t say _that,_ but what’s the difference if he just keeps rejecting the idea every single time I bring it up?” The lanky blocker ranted with hands and folded glasses in the air above him from his horizontal position on the cozy professional sofa. His black bedhead was even more of an absolute mess because he’d run his fingers through it a few thousand times that day alone.

“Do you think you’re giving him a fair chance to consider it?” The wise owl asked neutrally as he sat down in the armchair across the coffee table from the stressed out cat.

“Uh, yea. I’ve given him _years,_ Akaashi. Literal years. He’s never once shown any interest in it and every time I ask him now just feels like I’m begging to be kicked in the balls,” Kuroo groaned as he laid an arm over his face. “I’m tired of getting rejected, you know? I know he loves me, but I don’t think he ever wants to marry me...”

“How can you be so sure?” The former Fukurodani setter offered as his hands unconsciously thumbed the book in his lap.

“I dunno… He just doesn’t seem to care about it like I do?”

“Do you think you’re saying it in a way that he understands?”

“...What?”

“Do you think you’re asking him in a way that is accessible to him? In a way that makes him understand that you’re serious about it?”

“Keiji, as far as I know, we’re speaking the same damn language. He just doesn’t want to...” the blocker replied dejectedly as he started to bite his lip under the heavy arm that was still slung over his face.

“But what if you’re not?” 

“Not what?”

“Not speaking the same language. Figuratively that is,” Akaashi replied mysteriously with serious eyes beyond his thin sage-like frames.

Kuroo sat up. 

“I don’t know what you mean Akaashi, but I want to,” the bed-headed fool said eagerly with a laser focus as he hunched towards his friend and listened.

“I think you should read this,” the owl recommended, handing him the book. “It talks about the different types of love languages and how each person shows and receives affection in different ways that they may not even be aware of. For example, sometimes you can think you’re communicating well, but in reality your own language may not be the same as your partner’s.”

Kuroo was rapidly thumbing through the pages and speed reading glimpses of the text. It felt like hope. Like maybe he’d been speaking to a wall that _looked_ like his boyfriend this whole time because Kenma didn’t “speak” his love language, whatever that was.

So the tall cat spent the next few weeks reading the book on his lunch breaks at the lab, commuting on the train, and during any other spare moment he had away from the house. Sneaking it into his smelly gym bag when he went home because Kenma wouldn't be caught dead near that thing. (Only later did he realize he made Akaashi's copy smell like butt, so he bought him a new one and made him some fresh apology onigiri to go with it. Kenma did not ever question homemade onigiri.)

Kuroo discovered that he was a “words of affirmation” kind of guy. Very responsive to verbal praise and attention, and considering the litany of sweet and stupid nicknames he gave Kenma clearly he was unconciously pushing his personal preference for auditory affection on him too. Kuroo also scored highly in “acts of service,” which made sense because he did a LOT of those for Kenma and found it incredibly hot when his boyfriend took charge and got things done either for, with, or to him. People, in general it seemed, tended to most often communicate love and affection in their primary and secondary languages. 

Having figured this much out, Kuroo then went on to spend quite a few months trying to ascertain what exactly his boyfriend’s top languages would be. 

The language of “gifts?” Absolutely not. Kenma hated receiving gifts from him because he often thought they were a waste of Kuroo's money, plus he usually just bought himself whatever new game or device he wanted when he wanted them. 

Kenma certainly wasn’t a “words of affirmation” sort of guy either, usually preferring to rely on a host of non-verbal cues that Kuroo could read well by now. He practically had a PhD in Kozume body language based on the fact that he could identify all 23 types of eyerolls he had and name over half of them sight unseen (assuming he heard the accompanying groan or complaint). 

So that left the avenues of “quality time,” “acts of service,” and “physical touch.” All of which Kenma responded well to, so he wasn’t sure which ones would be considered the top scorers.

It wasn't until he was on the phone with his father after the winter holidays that Kuroo finally got "the idea."

“Yea, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it up to the mountains this year Tetsurou. Need to try to work the conference circuit if we want to get any buzz or funding,” Joji Kuroo, a college professor and researcher, had mused to his son as the lanky blocker walked home from the train station in the dark early winter evening. “What about you bud? You and Kenma got any good plans this year?”

“If you’re asking if we’re finally tying the knot you’re barking up the wrong tree dad,” the moody twenty-something sniffed as the cold wind burned his flushed cheeks. There was a dusting of snow on the ground and more falling gently from the sky as he trekked to their little secluded suburban rental home that they’d moved into last spring.

“Nothing on that end yet, huh?” His father sighed lightly. “You’ve just gotta be patient. He’ll come around.”

“I don’t think he thinks it’s practical.”

“Marriage?”

“Yea…”

“Well, of course it’s not!” The laughter came in through the bluetooth earbuds as his son rolled his eyes behind thick frames. “It’s not about practicality. It’s what’s in your heart. Not that you should take advice from me since I was pretty bad at it, all things considered—”

“You weren’t _bad_ at it dad. She was a psycho,” Kuroo junior interrupted.

“In any case, maybe you just need some time alone together to figure things out. When was the last time you two took a break together, huh?”

“Does Fiji count?” The tall cat asked dryly, his voice dripping in sarcasm. They had spent over a month on the south pacific islands filming with more than a few of their batshit crazy friends and let’s just say while it was fun at times, it was certainly not relaxing nor considered a “getaway” in any sense of the word.

“You know it doesn’t,” his dad’s voice chuckled again. He was smiling through the phone with warmth. “But you’ll think of something special. Not sure where you got it from, but you’re a smart kid Tetsurou.”

“Riiiiight. Thanks dad…” Kuroo sighed, staring up at the blanket of city-illuminated clouds above him letting the snow melt on his face and mess up his lenses with moisture as he walked.

“If only it was as simple as just going to the lake like we used to.” 

His mind flashed through all the times his father had driven them out to various cabins and campgrounds dotted across the main island and some even up in Hokkaido. There was always water of some sort that they could fish, canoe, or swim in, and when he was old enough his father taught him how to pilot his own kayak and paddleboard. He missed the simplicity and peace he felt on those starry campfire nights away with his old man.

“Why can’t it be?” The college professor asked, trying to play devil’s advocate as usual.

“Why can’t… wait, _what?”_

Kuroo stopped walking, which fortunately ended up being on a snow-dusted sidewalk and not out crossing the street. 

“Couldn’t you take him somewhere nice like that? Go to a lake or go camping?”

“Dad, no offense, but Kenma would disown me if I made him sleep in a tent.”

“We didn’t _always_ sleep in tents you know! And anyway, you could rent a place or something. You kids are the ones who are up on all that stuff now with the rental apps and the ride sharing and food deliveries.”

 _“Hey,_ those are _vital_ and _valid,_ okay? But yea, I guess I could see if I could get us a cabin or something…”

“There you go! Look into it. It might be good for you both to get out of the city for once.”

“Yea… maybe you’re right,” the younger Kuroo conceded, letting the idea roll around in his head. 

Maybe there was something to this. They didn’t get to spend a lot of time together with their busy work schedules and Kenma’s ventures taking up more and more of his life, so having a chance to unplug might be the spark they needed to reset. To figure out what they wanted. To see if they had any shot at becoming more than what they already were. To see if they had a future together beyond the boyfriend stalemate they were currently in.

Kuroo loved him so much it hurt. 

Which is why he took the time to carefully research, plan, and figure out every possible logistic and option for some time away together. It took a few months of serious web browsing and comparisons before he’d found the perfect cabin, in the perfect place, inside the perfect national park. Sure it was far, but he figured that the time spent in the car would be “quality time” and that (in addition to the trip itself) would be a good test of whether or not it counted as one of Kenma’s top languages. His boyfriend didn’t need to know that the train would have been able to get them there in half the time because this would be _one-on-one_ and totally more comfortable for him anyway since a rental car didn’t have strangers in it and they could touch and stuff. It’d be nice!

While they were at it, he would test his hypothesis on “acts of service” and “physical touch” to see if either of those were in the top two. The small cat _definitely_ appreciated physical affection so that was a strong contender. And service-wise, Kuroo usually did a ton of stuff for Kenma at home, including planning and cooking all their meals, doing most of the grocery shopping, and occasionally cleaning when he remembered that that was a thing they were supposed to do because they were _adults_ now. Really they had been for years, but having a house made it feel more real because it multiplied the chores.

But at the same time, having a home also made Kuroo feel even more of the warm and fuzzy domestic nonsense he never knew he needed until he’d experienced a small taste of it in college and then a larger portion of it in their crappy old city apartment. He loved that fucking shithole, and it certainly wasn’t because it was a place of beauty or convenience or hot water but because it made him feel like they suddenly had a _life_ together. A real life that they were choosing to build with each other because they _wanted_ to, not by chance like before. And when they’d moved into the bigger single-story house with a yard and kitchen that could fit more than one person at a time the crazy desire to lock in on that domestic bliss only intensified.

So he needed to know. Kuroo needed real, valid, verbal confirmation of Kenma’s intentions for their future. 

Only… he was _terrified_ of hearing the answer because he really, _really_ didn't want him to say no again.

There were only so many times a guy could be rejected before he started to lose hope. He loved that scrawny little gamer to the ends of the earth and back, but he couldn’t _force_ him into marriage. For one, it still wasn’t exactly legal in Japan to get “officially” married, although plenty of their friends like Daichi and Suga and Oikawa and Iwaizumi had thrown receptions at home and gotten married abroad in hopes that one day their unions would be recognized. Even the Sugawara twins had to be… creatively planned, and Daichi didn’t technically have any legal claim to them yet (although not from lack of trying). 

And even as he'd watched their friends struggle to make all those things happen, Kuroo couldn’t help envying and wanting those things for them too. 

Maybe he did want to be able to throw around the word “husband” like Kenma was inexistrictably linked to him by some magical, societal force. Maybe part of him also wanted something special in front of their friends and family as social proof of their strictly non public-facing relationship. Maybe it would be super cool to look into Kenma’s exasperated, yet soft golden eyes and say all the sappy, goofy, lovey stuff that people do when they're getting hitched because he meant them and because Kenma was insanely adorable when he blushed. Maybe Kuroo needed a million beautiful, stupid photos of them all jazzed up in suits and sweet ass shoes so he could look back every day of his life and only feel happiness when he saw them on his phone, in the house, or back home at his dad's or Kenma's parents' place. 

And maybe, eventually, he did want a little sprout someday who would call them dad or pop or whatever they decided. Then maybe, just maybe, Japan would be ready for that by the time they were ready too. 

Needless to say, Tetsurou had thought a lot about this mountain getaway and its implications both good and bad. Probably too much about it to be honest. Which was definitely part of the problem because after he’d decided, booked, and locked them in he didn’t have anything to focus his hyper neurotic energies on. This led to doubts creeping in and making themselves right at home in ways his often overconfident brain wasn’t used to. Worry permeating in new forms that he’d never experienced, not even back in college when he was sure he was taking too many classes and too many labs with too many goddamn papers to write and formulas to memorize. It wasn’t something that he’d noticed outright, especially at first. But it manifested itself in a series of crappy situations that just kept popping up, like when he’d been caught off guard at the gym a month ago.

“Yo Kuroo! Aren’t you proposing to your boy soon?”

At this, the lanky blocker actually _fell_ into the volleyball net, missing the block and ripping it down into a tangled mess as he landed with solid, crushing thud atop his foot. 

_“Fucking fuck!”_

“Oh my god! _Are you okay?!”_

“Holy shit man...”

“Ice! Somebody go get ice!”

Kuroo blinked up at the concerned faces of his neighborhood team and the too bright fluorescent lights of the gymnasium. 

“Did you just say my _'boy?'”_ The bed-headed player in the number three temp jersey asked in irritation, ignoring his teammates that were trying to disentangle his huge body from the net without cutting it.

“What?” Number six asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Did you call him a—OW! FUCK. _Don’t do that._ Please don’t do that,” Kuroo winced as they tried to move the leg he’d landed on to get him out.

It took another ten minutes, many dexterous hands, and a lucky pair of garden shears from someone’s van to get him out, but Kuroo was freed and benched with ice for his ankle soon enough.

“He’s a man you know... not some little kid,” Kuroo muttered disdainfully to his teammate who had inadvertently caused the distraction that made him fall. 

Just because Kenma played games all the time, hardly ever had to shave, and had the finicky eating habits of an eight year old didn't mean he was a "boy." Kuroo wasn't fully aware that words and comments like that about his boyfriend pissed him off until crap like this happened. He didn't like anyone "looking down on him," and had gotten into trouble on more than one occasion with his big mouth when he tried to defend his sweet little snarky gamer even when he didn't have to. Like right now.

“Bro, I didn’t mean anything by it,” his gym friend said with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, I just thought you said something about going on a trip and popping the question.”

“Yea, well, I popped my ankle instead so we’ll have to see if that’s even still a thing now,” the blocker spat bitterly, glaring at the ice which wasn’t really helping. It was just making skin freeze _and_ sting while soaking the hair on his leg. 

His unconscious anxiety had only been increasing as they got closer to the dates on the calendar, which was part of the reason he had been hitting up the gym more in the first place. He needed something to blow off the excess stress, but _now_ he would have a whole new level of bullshit to deal with from this one moronic mistake. Logically, he knew his gym friend didn't mean anything by it, but irrationally his brain had kept auto-converting people's comments into "reasons why you two are incompatible" or "why he'll ultimately say no."

The last few weeks before the trip were hell trying to hide his injury from Kenma. 

He knew, for a fact, that there was no way on this good green earth that his boyfriend would agree to go if he was hurt in any capacity—even if it was super mild and manageable compared to previous sports injuries and some of the other stupid shit Kuroo had somehow gotten himself into over the years. With all the hiking and other outdoor activities he’d planned it would be a hard and fast No. 9 _“Hell no, why are we even talking about this”_ sort of eyeroll and ensuing cat fight. As much as he enjoyed most of their petty arguments and bickering, this one would hurt so much worse to lose given what was on the line.

Kuroo also knew that telling Kenma in advance would only increase their likelihood of _not_ going because it would give him time to overthink it and back out. The pro gamer had a million lame excuses for his boyfriend on the ready at any point in time for anything he didn’t want to go to. 

_“I have to stream.”_

_“I’m filming a new review then.”_

_“Yea, well, the cats need to eat too Kuroo.”_

_“It’ll be too uncomfortable...”_

_“Are you crazy? That’s too far.”_

_“No, it’s too loud. I’m not dealing with that.”_

_“Kuroo, only stupid people go on opening weekend.”_

_“Sorry, I have too many packages coming that day.”_

Or Kuroo’s personal favorite: 

_“No, that’s just dumb.”_

Another potential pitfall was the cost of the trip because Kenma was such a frugal tightwad despite his wealth and business success that if it wasn’t essentials, games, food, cat toys, or a comfort-related thing there was a 95% chance he’d just straight up say “no.” Followed by a series of boring, practical snipes on responsible adult spending habits (the filthy shoe-buying, game-addicted hypocrite that he was). Kuroo loved him dearly, but if he had to sit through another ass-chewing of why he shouldn’t have splurged on forty birthday balloons so that their friends could actually _find_ their way to their very unmarked, hidden, _new_ house then he was _going to lose his shit._

So Kuroo did what Kuroos often do. He devised an experiment.

And largely, considering all the wild variables, he thought it had been going rather well (at least in the beginning). Miraculously, he’d gotten Kenma to agree to come. He’d also somehow been able to hobble around only when his boyfriend wasn’t looking. He taped or braced his ankle when he left the house for stability and relief while popping just below overdose levels of pain relievers as frequently as his liver could handle them. And lastly, he’d gotten their butts to the mountains with minimal difficulty, athough the homophobic konbini dickheads did put a major kink in his mood. 

Or maybe it was more than a kink? He’d already been a big ball of nerves after waiting for all of this for so long. His mind constantly ran through scenario after scenario as if that was really going to help anything. Everything on the trip so far was just a series of points and blocks. Highs and lows, but now he was _real_ low. So low he’d suggested going home. Calling the whole thing off. Ending this before he meant to because it hurt so goddamn much that he had almost made a fatal mistake because of his stupid fucking, distracting _nerves._

Fortunately there was something else that Kuroos were known for, which was his only saving grace at this point. 

A Kuroo never gives up. 

He couldn’t back out yet. He’d come too far. He just had to know once and for all. And he had to prove to Kenma that he could be serious lifetime-committing, husband-level material or else all of this would be for nothing.

—

_“Kenma, we need to get you in the car. There’s a place just down the mountain in that little village by the lake—”_

_“Kuroo, no. I told you I’m fine.”_

_“NO, you’re not. Come on, get up. Let me help you—”_

_“Kuroo, stop it! I seriously don’t want to go spend the rest of the day playing stupid games on my phone waiting for tests…”_

_“Baby, you don’t have a choice. We have to go or I'll never forgive myself. Come on.”_

_“Don’t call me that right now Kuroo, it’s not that bad I swear. Really...”_

_“Okay, well then just humor me because I’m an overprotective, worrisome idiot, will yah? We can go get it over with together real quick, alright?”_

_“...”_

_“Alright?”_

_“...I don’t want to ruin the trip.”_

_“Wha..? Kenma, babe, you haven’t ruined anything. I messed up, not you. You know that, right?”_

_“Kuro…”_

_“Kenma...”_

_“I really just don’t want to go…”_

_“I know you don’t. But I love you too much to fall for that. We need to make sure you’re okay.”_

_“Of course I am, you’re here...”_

Kuroo took a very deep, shuddering breath and opened his eyes to release himself from the memories of that morning. He stared blankly at his dripping wet features in the bathroom mirror. 

Kenma was okay. 

Because Kuroo had acted fast, he’d been alright. As completely distraught as he was, the blocker had somehow found the mental fortitude to get a protesting Kenma into some pants, a hoodie, and the car and race him down the mountain to the clinic in the small lakeside town just beyond the campground. It was no hospital, but it was _something_ and it was the closest facility he could find in his search results on the crappy cabin wifi since there was still no cell service out here.

Luckily, they were able to take his vitals, blood oxygen levels, and additional monitoring, all of which checked out after waiting for a while onsite. They also gave him a prescription to reduce his body’s allergic response signals and there was a backup injector in the car console that they could swipe for their backpacks just in case. Other than following up with his allergist at home later, they were clear to do mild activity, if any, that day unless they noticed rebound symptoms. 

Fortunately, the two cats had made it back to the cabin just a few hours later largely unscathed. Kenma was only mildly-disgruntled (because it hadn’t actually taken as long as he thought it would), and Kuroo had been able to chill the hell out after hearing the results and professional medical recommendations.

Closing his dark grays again, Kuroo took another deep breath for zen. 

Kenma was fine. He was fine. They both were fine. He would say this in his head as many times as he needed to in order to believe it. 

The tall cat doused his face with water again, shook his dripping bedhead vigorously, and then slapped his cheeks with both hands. 

He could do this. 

Maybe things weren't perfect (like at all) and half of this stuff didn't go according to plan (or more than half, but who was really counting at this point) and maybe he _royally_ fucked up the schedule today (and the day before and the day before…) but this was STILL his best shot at spending precious alone time with his boyfriend and he wasn't going to waste anymore of it worrying or sulking. He was sulked out. Fresh out of sulk. The sulk had flown the coop. So they were going to go out and they were going to have a _fun, safe, low-key_ afternoon together and that was that.

And if the timing felt right, then he would just do it. 

Life, quite frankly, was too fragile and too fucking short to not go after the things you wanted. Feeling the aftershocks of the terror that coursed through him that morning only strengthened Kuroo's resolve to stop pussyfooting around and just go ahead and ask one last time as soon as he possibly could.

If for some reason nothing seemed to click in place, he could still deploy the surefire backup-backup plan that he had in his pocket. It would still be super cute and totally romantic and shit. He could live with that, couldn’t he? Hell, if things were reversed and Kenma did the same for him he'd be over the moon about it. Kuroo just really wanted to make some kind of progress _today._ If he waited any longer he was legitimately afraid that some other bullshit freak accident would happen and they might not be so lucky next time. He honestly couldn't risk Kenma getting hurt again because of him. 

Kuroo sniffed and dried his wild black tresses on his shower towel until they were fluffy and roostery again.

After one more deep breath, glasses for +1 wisdom, and a few unconscious go-get-em-tiger nods to himself, he opened the bathroom door to find Kenma kneeling on the floor slowly picking up the trashed cabin from the blocker's panic episode earlier. The small cat had the hiking whistle in one hand and was collecting all the other miscellaneum with the other.

"I figured I'd start blowing on this if you didn't come out soon," his long haired companion smirked up at him from the floor twisting the whistle in his fingers. His mood seemed to have improved considerably, he was already busting Kuroo’s balls again.

"What am I, a dog?" Kuroo asked sassily, feeling the beginnings of his own grin tip the corners of his lips. 

"If you were we'd have even more issues," Kenma mused in monotone.

"How so?"

"I'm pretty sure you'd constantly be up my ass following me around and dry humping the shit out of my leg."

"Yanno, that doesn't sound much different than usual. OR like an issue!" Kuroo laughed, bending over to help him pick up the scattered items to tuck back into the former setter's daybag.

"And contrary to popular belief that's not a toy little kitty, give it here," the roosterhead said fondly as he took the emergency whistle and placed it back in the front zipper pocket.

Kenma stared up at him expectantly with a calm, golden gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Kenma Kozume doesn't whip out the pretty eyes look for nothing. What do you need?" He asked sincerely, bending down again so that they were eye-level.

"Oh. Hah, I see," Kuroo purred smoothly as he leaned in to cup his face beneath the shield of his multi-colored bangs and pressed a meaningful kiss onto the soft expectant lips that were waiting for him. It echoed into a few smaller ones.

"Thanks," the semi blonde said, quietly grateful with the tiniest hint of a smile starting to soften his features.

"You got it dude," Kuroo grinned broadly with amusement and smug reassurance. Kenma really was alright. Thank the fucking gods for that.

The blocker happily helped him to his feet, but then had trouble letting go of his body because it was warm and sweet and very cuddly, all of which he had missed that morning because he’d gotten up early to cook. As usual, they melted into one another, unintentionally making the casual contact into an equally casual hug.

"I didn't mean for just the kiss," the gamer explained evenly as his arms hung around his boyfriend's broad summer-tanned shoulders hidden beneath his smooth black tee.

"Oho?" Kuroo cocked an eyebrow high as he held onto the small of his little companion's hoodied back.

"Yea… Thanks for saving me... I'll have to return the favor one day," Kenma mused with dry humor and the tiny true smile that never failed to turn Kuroo's insides to blissful mush.

"I'm sure you will. They don't call you Kodzuken the Great for nothing."

"God, you really don't know jack shit about games do you?" Kenma smirked devilishly.

At this, Kuroo suddenly leaned in closer and growled, attacking his cheek and neck with kisses forcing the former setter into an uncontrollably wide grin and surprised laughter.

"Kuroo, _don't!"_ Kenma tried to protest but just ended up squirming at the tickling sensations of his partner's aggressive kisses and toothy, playful love bites. His vain attempts to shove his handsy companion off him (one hand to the forehead and the other uselessly beating against his chest) were wholly unsuccessful.

The scuffle didn't last long because they never did, with Kuroo claiming victory again by pinning the small cat’s arms down in a huge hug as he nuzzled his dark roots and breathed in deeply.

"You save me every day Kenma. Don't you ever forget it." 

Kuroo brushed his long nose over his forehead as he swayed him lightly in his arms.

"You are such a sap," Kenma rolled his eyes, but didn't outright reject the compliment. It was definitely a No.11 _“You’re cute, but I just can’t admit it out loud”_ type of roll.

"I'm _your_ sap though," the blocker grinned smugly, letting him go and cheekily pecking his temple through his hair.

"Don't remind me."

It was another ten minutes before they stopped messing around and had everything cleaned up and ready to go. Well, aside from washing the floors from Kuroo's shoe-wearing heresy earlier, which he promised he would do before they left the cabin tomorrow morning. Today, however, they had very little time left to waste.

As they buckled into the Crosstrek again for one last chance at real boyfriend adventuring, Kuroo peered over reflectively at his travel buddy.

"Kenma, seriously, thanks for coming on this trip. It really means a lot to me that you're here and trying all this stuff, but I also don't want to push you beyond your limits today, okay?" He said sincerely to blinking golden eyes.

"I know. I told you I'm fine..." Kenma awkwardly looked away from his intense gaze. 

He'd stopped feeling lightheaded shortly after all the breakfast madness and had endured the poking and prodding of that clinic doctor lady so that Kuroo would stop wigging out. There didn't seem to be any good reason to not at least try to do part of whatever Kuroo had planned for the day, so Kenma had insisted that they should. He hated the fact that he'd already disrupted so much of their time together just because he couldn't wait an extra second to evaluate the freaking pie before he shoved it in his face. Maybe Kuroo's mindless mistakes were rubbing off on him too. Stupid wasn't supposed to be contagious.

"I know, I know, but I'm just sayin," Kuroo defended, still looking concerned and unconvinced. If Yaku hadn't claimed the title of Nekoma team mom back in the day, Kuroo would have been a shoe in for sure (in his own weird way). He certainly had the worry wrinkles on his forehead for it.

"Then believe me when I say I'm _fine."_

"I do believe you! I just want to make sure you're good!"

"I'm good Kuroo."

"Good."

"Can we go now?" Kenma asked with affectionate irritation, jerking his multi-colored, now sloppy-bunned head towards the rocky dirt road down the mountain and into the unknown.

Kuroo grinned with cheshire charm as he turned on the car and switched gears to reverse.

"Yea, let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! He did want to propose! Yall called it haha... Good job Kuroken detectives!
> 
> The good news: In an attempt to make what's left of the adventure more manageable it's been split into two additional chapters! So three total left after this. I blame Kuroo and his complicated feelings (*cough web of lies cough*) for this, in addition to more of their shenanigans that keep cropping up. Want to make sure everything is still paced right without feeling rushed so hopefully that's a good thing...
> 
> The bad news: Hmmm, there is none? Other than my wandering mind trying to simultaneously write one shots for them and the Fiji adventure that Kuroo mentioned (it's a slowburn beast I've been working on for ages with the whole crew which may or may not be posted soon if you're interested in these guys + other HQ couples). Too many fics, so little time!
> 
> Anyway, more sweetness, hard stuff, and frisky times ahead for these two!


	10. The Forest

The problem with expectations was that they often led to disappointment—and to be quite honest, Tetsurou was just incredibly tired of disappointing himself. 

After all, he wasn't used to it. Previously, his good boy grades, charming personality, and athletic prowess throughout high school and college had fooled him into thinking he could be competent at adult life in general, but sadly those were just highly tested case studies that apparently didn't equate to being good at _everything._ Hence, disappointment after disappointment in the "level up your relationship" goal he'd been working on since they'd graduated.

So that morning while they were waiting for the clinic test results as Kenma slouched against his shoulder playing some nonsense on his phone, Kuroo decided that from now on expectations could kindly go fuck themselves. 

In truth, expectations were what got him into all this extra trouble in the first place, so he was going to “let them go” ice princess-style in order for him and his sweet, impatient boyfriend to have some small sliver of fun on their last day together in nature. He really didn’t want to turn Kenma off from traveling forever, and he _did_ want to show him the special place that had finally sold him on this area in particular when he first did his research all those months ago.

Surprisingly, it seemed like Kuroo had made the right decision for once because he was currently driving the Crosstrek through what had to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

They were cruising up the switchbacks of a winding alpine pass going higher and higher into the more elevated part of the national park among the peak tops themselves. There were forests even all the way up here, that decorated the mountains in bright swaths of changing orange, red, yellow, and contrasting deep evergreens. Luckily, Kenma was sitting on the opposite side of the steep cliff drop off bordering the low, laughable metal barrier wall so he didn't have to deal with the vertigo-inducing extreme heights.

While Kuroo didn't necessarily _mind_ heights, throughout his life he had often severely misjudged his capability to get down from them. Which in turn had left him in quite a few strange situations. 

One of the fondest memories he had of this was the time he got stuck on the roof of the Kozume house back when they were teens. (To be fair, he had pitched his volleyball up there by accident again, he wasn't some kind of roof creeper freak.) That day Kenma had looked up at him like he was the dumbest person on the planet, but he still helped him get down without calling the fire department and with only a marginal amount of sass. Now that was love.

But Kuroo didn't anticipate needing any assistance getting down from _these_ heights. The roads were clear, there was only a small chance of rain according to his app despite the clouds that had settled in above, and he was pretty sure he had memorized this part of the park map by heart. Hopefully Kenma would love it as much as he thought he would.

"Where are we going?" His boyfriend asked evenly from the passenger seat, tucking one loose half black, half blonde bang behind his ear as he stared up the rocky, wooded mountainside out the window. 

In all the commotion from that morning Kuroo hadn't gotten around to messing with his hair again so it was in the standard multi-colored sloppy bun mess with bangs for cover that Kenma usually preferred these days. The blocker wondered if he could still make space buns happen at some point even though when he initially suggested it Kenma made a disgusted face that was a mixture of _"Are you out of your goddamn mind"_ and _"Don't make me hurt you."_ For someone who was so damn private about his feelings publicly, he sure was Captain Obvious when it came to his shade-throwing dirty looks.

"It's an area up here on the mountain tops. There is a little elevation on the actual trail parts, but a lot of it is surprisingly flatter than you'd think. You'll see, little kitty, you'll see," Kuroo reassured him, tapping the steering wheel a few times as if he was also reassuring himself. He hummed a bit to the upbeat track playing low in the vehicle. 

"Are there bears up here too?" Kenma asked in a sarcastic, monotoned drawl.

Kuroo knew he would probably _never_ live down leaving _that_ detail out, but he hadn’t wanted to give Kenma any more ammo to say no beforehand. It would have been a vehement _hell no_ if he had brought that up right out of the gate...

"Hm, there could be, but they generally like the lower elevation because there's berries and bugs and whatnot down there. They're like you—they'd rather forage for lazy food than go expend any real effort," Kuroo chirped, tipping the brim of his black MSBY hat up as he grinned slightly over at Kenma's sourpuss deadpan. The tall cat snickered and antagonistically pinched the former setter's skinny thigh earning himself a swift swat. 

It didn’t take much longer for them to wind around more of the mountains and find a small, vacant dirt parking lot among a wide expanse of open rocky plains. They were dotted with shrubs and surrounded by forest. A moss-patched and weather-worn plank pathway snaked through the autumn meadow down the hillside and into the woods.

“See! It’s kinda, sorta flattish once you’re up here. Or more than you’d think anyway,” Kuroo flashed a self-satisfied smile as he shifted the car into park. He took a moment to chug his massive water bottle.

“How strange…” Kenma mused peering out at the rolling fields around them. 

They were definitely at the top of the pass, but he never imagined there would be an area like this up here. It was like a whole micro valley in itself. All hills and forest and clouded sky for as far as you could see, then more peaks beyond the trees.

“Oh dude, _look!”_ Kuroo slapped the dash, startling his companion as he stared in awe out the front windshield. 

Down the mountaintop valley treading through the tall grasses and gigantic gray boulders was a whole herd of spotted sika deer. Fifteen, no eighteen counting the little ones, grazing aimlessly in the windblown weeds and drying alpine flowers leftover from summer's wild bloom.

“I bet we could hear them sing if we got out,” Kuroo said, slightly open-mouthed and mesmerized by their presence. 

“Sing?” Kenma questioned, raising one skeptical eyebrow.

“Yea! Come on, it’ll count towards your baby newbie hiker quest log.”

Although he severely doubted the legitimacy of Kuroo's nonsensical claim, Kenma resented being considered a noob at anything. 

He got out of the car but didn't shut the door when Kuroo frantically motioned with his hands not to. Leaving both doors slightly ajar so as to not startle the animals down in the valley meadow below, they walked forward and watched with rapt feline focus. 

After a moment, Kuroo leaned his cargo-shorted butt on the hood of the vehicle and Kenma gravitated towards him. The small cat glanced around first out of habit, then threaded a few fingers through his boyfriend's rough, volley-calloused and science-worn hand. It was always warmer than his own, tanner, and much larger by comparison. He felt the familiar comforting brush strokes of that gentle thumb along his chilled skin just below the cuff of his oversized hoodie.

"You are so full of shit," Kenma whispered to him, not breaking the trance of his gaze on the wild creatures that were meandering closer to the adjacent woods.

"I am _not_. Just listen for once will you," Kuroo shot back hastily under his breath, but still continued absentmindedly playing with the semi blonde's fingers in his own as they rested atop his bent knees.

It was cooler up here on the mountain, especially with the cloud cover which had taken over the entire sky. The wind wasn't too bad though, just enough to send flowing waves through the field of tall grasses and wildflowers. The herd moved slowly and didn't seem to notice them. As city boys, it was crazy to see so many deer this close unless you went to a temple or an island that had habituated them. It wasn’t the same though. These ones were truly free.

"Or maybe they're just not in singing season…" Kuroo muttered disappointedly after another few minutes of waiting.

Kenma rolled his eyes. It was more of a No.14 _“You sweet fool”_ pity eyeroll and less of condescending No.21 “ _I told you so”_ eyeroll. The small cat squeezed and tugged his companion's hand to encourage him to get his big butt off the dirty car.

Kuroo reluctantly did, unintentionally popping a few joints as he stood. Kenma squeezed his hand one more time as a tiny sign of reassurance—like the promise of an unspoken truce that he wouldn't be _too_ -too hard on him today. He could see that his boyfriend was a little worn out, emotionally at least, from everything so he was hoping that by physically doing some things together it would give him the spark he needed to bounce back. Moody Kuroo tended to feel better after some sort of action whether it was working out, playing volleyball, cooking, going for a run, or even doing chores. He just needed _something_ to do with his body or his hands. So when it wasn’t embarrassing (i.e. in public or around prying eyes), Kenma would silently use hand holding as another way to “give him” that something to do. 

"Okay, fine. Maybe these aren't the singing type of deer," Kuroo finally admitted, releasing Kenma to go get their packs from the car but just as he did this a low, sorrowful call broke out far down in the valley below.

It echoed for a beat before it called again in haunting beauty. Kenma was wide-eyed when he glanced back at the lanky blocker who had the most stupid face of dumbstruck, slack-mouthed awe he'd ever seen.

He took a photo with his phone.

 _"Kenma!"_ Kuroo hissed as he came towards him, batting the device down and shushing him for no real reason. This somehow turned into clamping his long arms around his little boyfriend’s hoodied shoulders from the side while vigorously smushing his cheek into the top of what used to be his pudding head. 

"Stop fucking around with technology and just enjoy the moment you little screen junkie," the tall cat admonished him, alternately digging his pointy chin and cheek bone into his scalp possessively.

"Your face was priceless," Kenma countered, fidgeting underneath him.

"My face is always priceless!” Kuroo stopped moving as he rested his head and upper body on top of his boyfriend (bearing too much weight on him just to be extra annoying and because he could get away with it). They listened to another long, high call that echoed into the woods. 

“Do you believe me _now_ Captain Snark?" The blocker asked smugly.

"If you call that singing then it explains a lot."

Kenma was ready for Kuroo's counter strike, so he slipped out of the hold by preemptively hitting him with a dirty sneak attack poke to the ribs.

"Owwwaaah! _Kennnmmmaa,"_ the rooster-headed fool whined like the bratty nine year old Kenma knew he still was on the inside. It was the same whine he used to deploy when he wanted the little gamer to stop playing whatever he was in the middle of and pay attention to the volley-bruised kid who wanted to practice together nonstop. Sure, Kuroo had a bigger body and a deeper voice now, but it didn't hide his juvenile tendencies or grumpy puss antics.

"You were right," Kenma admitted, shaking his head and glancing down at the mysterious beasts who were starting to move on. "So let's go see if you were right about anything else."

At this, Kuroo stopped mid-pout. A familiar gleam grew brighter in his dark mischievous eyes that Kenma had seen so many times before. 

The scheming captain was absolutely up to something, and his rogue setter was determined to figure it out.

—

Kuroo had also apparently been right about there being some elevation on the trail. Fortunately though, it was a merciful, gradual descent down the grimy wooden plank steps and then flat path through the meadow. This led into the mountain forest where it then transitioned to a dirt and rock-laden trail. The roots of gigantic trees intermittently threaded over it, causing the lanky blocker to mention them every time so that Kenma didn’t trip. 

“Kenma, watch your step here.”

“Root!”

“Here too, babe. Damn, this one’s a monster…”

“More roots!”

“Watch your feets little kitty.”

"ROOT!"

While this repeated gesture was considerate at first, it quickly started to become annoying. Kenma wasn’t some kind of fragile, pathetic thing that would die from tripping over a lame-ass tree root. He’d played enough games to know that you needed to be _aware_ of your surroundings and always looking for something that might be a clue, an item, a trap, or a new quest to pick up.

But other than Kuroo’s obsessive nagging about watching his step, Kenma was rather enjoying this trail. 

It was freakishly, blissfully quiet in the forest and they hadn’t seen anyone in the parking lot or the trail itself yet. There didn’t really seem to be many birds up here either, but because of that he could hear other things. Like the wind whispering through the trees and blowing leaves down to the forest floor, which was already carpeted in a collage of vibrant color. 

The mountains were proving peaceful in a way that he hadn’t experienced in a long time, similar to the lake. Some of his open-world RPGs tried to simulate this sort of solitude and natural grandeur, but it wasn’t the same feeling as moving through a physical space with light and smells and sounds that calmed the body and hushed the mind. In games you had to be hyper vigilant because you didn’t know when something could attack, but here it didn’t feel that way with Kuroo walking and babbling mindlessly alongside him. He realized there was still potential for bears, but having “survived” his first encounter with them it definitely changed how much fear he had overall. He didn’t know if this was a smart response, but largely he trusted Kuroo and Kuroo had led him here.

“Uh oh…” The tall cat stopped abruptly, throwing his arm up in front of Kenma so fast that his face bumped into it.

“Ow, what the hell…” The small cat complained, scrunching his nose and glaring over at the rooster-headed dummy who still had his arm up blocking the trail. Once a blocker, always a blocker...

“We have an obstacle, my fearless companion!” Kuroo declared with a strange air of righteous enthusiasm.

“...What?”

Peering past his boyfriend’s sweatered arm, Kenma noticed that the entire path was obstructed by mud and pools of murky water for a distance. There didn’t seem to be another way around either because even the non-trail forest on both sides was obscured with rocks, bushes, trees, and more wet-looking ground.

“I guess that’s it then,” the former setter sighed knowing this would all come to an end sooner than they probably anticipated anyway.

“Get on my back,” Kuroo stated without hesitation.

“Huh..?” Kenma frowned and glanced over to see if he was serious, which he absolutely was. 

“Get on my back! If we’re going to slay the dragon and save the realm we need to get through this crap, Kozume-dono. We're running out of time and we BOTH know my bubble of protection won’t work on you otherwise, so _hop on my back!”_

Kenma tried very hard to suppress his hopeless, embarrassed grin with a facepalm.

Once again the pro gamer was attempting to NOT lose his composure at Kuroo’s completely ridiculous, nonsensical, slightly inaccurate, yet incredibly sweet and silly interpretation of what he did when he streamed and played for fun. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that only paladin-like classes tended to “bubble” (which Kuroo was not because Kenma had already deemed him a sorcerer) and that spells like that usually didn’t protect your party members even if they rode you like a goddamn stallion. On top of which, if his boyfriend were to really go up against an _actual_ dragon, Kuroo would without a doubt be turned into an extra crispy rooster-style chicken nugget.

It was pretty endearing though. Dumbness aside.

“Kenma. Come ooon,” Kuroo encouraged him impatiently, flipping his backpack’s position so that it was now strapped to his chest. His eager arms were waiting at his sides as he braced the earth with his cargo-shorted, sculpted legs looking like he was ready to run ninja style down the path.

“You are such a dork,” Kenma bit his lip thinking. He was going to get mud ALL over his hiking shoes if he did this.

Kuroo read his mind.

“KENMA. Shoes can be _cleaned._ Hurry _up,_ my spell is running out so you either need to get on or—”

If there had been anyone, _anyone_ to his knowledge within a five kilometer radius then Kenma Kozume (pro gamer, YouTuber, stock trading, serious business manning savant, and reasonably well-functioning adult) would not have been caught _dead_ mounting his boyfriend’s back in a public space to ride him across some mud like they were ten year old idiots on a perilous quest to save the world. The last time he semi-publicly "rode" his boyfriend was during that stupid water chicken incident with their friends a few years ago that left him permanently scarred from ever participating in such antics again. 

And yet, here he was kicking the back of Kuroo's knees to get him to bend his tall ass down far enough to climb up and cling onto his back like a baby koala. Sometimes he thought he must have a few screws loose too in order to be dating this hot mess.

“AH HA! Kozume the Great gains bonus XP for finally learning to trust his party member for a change!” Kuroo’s shit-eating grin appeared as he leaned far forward and hiked Kenma’s legs up higher around his waist to get a good grip. He was quite pleased with himself that even with both backpacks and the former setter’s weight, this was totally manageable. He bounced lightly from foot to foot trying to feel out his agility. It should be okay as long as he distributed more of the overall weight onto the good one.

“I’m not ‘Great,’ I’m just a rogue... And if you _ever_ speak of this to _anyone_ I will—”

But before Kenma could finish, Kuroo full on charged down the slanted path belting out an insane battle cry that echoed loudly throughout the empty woods. 

Immediately Kuroo’s hiking shoes were drenched as his thick blocker’s legs ran at full speed, sending splashes of mud and questionable water up his bare skin and shorts. Somehow it had also managed to fleck up to Kenma’s pants too, but he found himself not caring because a rush of adrenaline and actual excitement blasted through his body as he clung onto Kuroo’s back for dear sweet life.

Suddenly and vividly Kenma was reminded of the make-believe games they would sometimes play as little kids together when Kuroo managed to drag him outside and away from video games for something other than volleyball. Running around their backyards, through the neighborhood, and down by the creek (which really was just a water run off area, but whatever) at the far end of their kid turf. Here they would go on adventures into far away places like jungles, fortresses, ruins, palaces, zombie wastelands, outer space, deep inside the earth, and back through time to save the dinosaurs. Spoiler alert: The dinosaurs never got saved, but they did manage to actually rescue a tiny kitten once who had grown into a very old, very fat, and very happy cat who still lived with Kenma’s parents.

It had been forever since he’d remembered any of that, aside from his OG cat. Kenma loved her so much that he still quietly baby talked to her when they visited or on video chat when his mom switched camera views to her lap. Kuroo would have made fun of him for this, but he was equally guilty at home crooning to their own two fluffy uffy kitty muffins.

Kuroo continued his thunderous battle cry as they ran towards the opening of light at the end of the forest trail. However, even after they had cleared the pools of treacherous mud the bed-headed fool wasn’t stopping. Kenma didn’t know if it was because there was too much momentum going downhill on the trail or what, but suddenly he was very sure that this wouldn’t end well. 

“K-kuroo, you need to stop!” Kenma yelled in his ear, golden eyes wide with increasing panic as they neared the end.

 _“I can’t!”_ His boyfriend yelled back, seeming just as surprised and slightly panicked as he was. 

“Oh my god, are you seri—”

And before they knew it, Kuroo had lost his balance… on one of those damned _roots_. As a result the two cats were unceremoniously booted out of the forest and into a grassy field like some kind of magic force that had begrudgingly granted them passage, but rejected their presence any longer. 

When Kenma opened his eyes, he was still clinging to Kuroo’s back but now his face was half laying in the grass and the earth was vertical in his vision. The impact had scared the _shit_ out of him, his heart beating all the way up through his ears. He blinked as he caught his breath and surveyed himself to find that he'd only gotten grass stains on the shoulder of his hoodie and a few on his pants. Miraculously, he seemed to be fine otherwise. 

Kuroo, however, did not.

“Are you alive?” Kenma asked, stiffly rolling off of him to survey the reckless panther lump sprawled out all arms and legs face down beside him.

The blocker had his eyes clenched shut with one hand still grasping Kenma's leg from the ride and the other vaguely reaching down towards his thoroughly mudded hiking shoe but not quite making it. His furry, dirty knee tucked up towards his butt like it had reflexively curled in for damage control.

“What happened? Did you trip or something?" The small cat's golden eyes darted up and down the tall cat's stiff body, which winced when he moved his mud-splattered leg. "Did you mess up your foot? ...Kuro?”

The former setter grazed a few fingers across the speckled ankle, but his boyfriend surprised him by quickly batting them away.

“Naw, I-I’m fine,” Kuroo stammered in an octave higher than usual. He licked his dry lips and rolled over slightly to try to meet the concerned, furrowed gaze. He was sluggish though, and seemed a little disbelieving that _he_ was the butthead who actually managed to trip after all of that badgering.

Unfortunately, this was the wrong answer. Kenma frowned with deep unamusement.

Kuroo was lying again. 

Why did he keep doing this? And after they'd _just_ fucking went over this crap last night during their pillow talk too...

“You’re not,” Kenma stated bluntly as he sighed disapprovingly through his nose. 

It was time to start calling him on this bullshit. Enough was enough. Why didn't he trust him? How was it not okay for Kenma to refrain from saying anything about semi-painful (but super hot) sex, but Kuroo could keep lying his ass off about this mysterious foot thing that obviously kept becoming an issue for him? Why did he even agree to get on his stupid back? He should have remembered that he'd noticed Kuroo limping a few times around the house weeks before they’d gone away, but he’d seemed fine this whole time so...

“I _am,”_ the roosterhead insisted, shifting a bit more as he laid on his stomach atop his backpack in the grass. Luckily, it had cushioned the fall and protected the precious cargo safely hanging around his neck underneath his tee and zip up sweater.

“That was fun though, huh?” Kuroo brightly tried to change the subject. He forced a cheeky grin through the flaring dull pain in his ankle and hoped this wouldn’t fuck up the rest of the trail. They had to be close now.

 _“Tetsurou,”_ Kenma snapped more sternly. 

_“Whoooa ho ho,_ no need for name calling babe! I’m _fine_ , I'm fine. And you’re fine too, right? You landed on me mostly, not the ground. No harm, no foul, eh?” The gregarious blocker reasoned lightly noting the pissy scowl on his boyfriend's face. He hadn’t realized he was that close to toeing the _"You’re sleeping on the couch"_ line. Unlike everyone else, when Kenma used his given name he meant _business_ -business, and not the kinky kind this time.

“Why do you always suggest things that end in ruin?” Kenma asked in deflated deadpan as he sat beside his hopeless lover in the grass picking a few leaf fragments out of his messy black bedhead. 

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times—you can’t pretend you _didn’t_ enjoy the ride Kenma," Kuroo countered trying to tamper his bad boy grin, but it was too hard to contain. Kenma was cute when he caved, which he _totally_ just had because he was NOT continuing in that lower, more dangerous tone so he couldn't be _that_ peeved. Just the fact that his boyfriend was grooming him meant that something had shifted. Sometimes Kuroo seriously impressed himself with his ability to quickly sway Kenma's moods (in either direction actually).

“...You’re just going to hurt yourself if you keep doing pointless, reckless shit,” the semi blonde mumbled having lost his momentum. Now he just sounded tired as he carefully picked a twig out of his boyfriend’s fluffy tresses and flicked it away.

“I don’t think my time spent with you is ever pointless or reckless,” Kuroo frowned up at the little gamer who smoothed back the rooster fringe hair from his face and stared at him intently. 

Kenma was so beautiful against the stormy looking sky. Long, multi-colored bangs drifting in the gentle breeze as he studied Kuroo with the serious felinesque goldens that never failed to captivate him. His features reset to the neutral look he wore most places, the same face many people would never have the privilege of getting past. It seemed like he wanted to say something else.

“Cat got your tongue?” Kuroo grinned naughtily up at him. 

“What is wrong with you?” Kenma groaned, shoving his head away while issuing a classic No.17 _“Congrats, you ruined the moment”_ eyeroll.

Kuroo thought that he could spend all of his forevers with Kenma like this. Playing the way they had as kids among the backdrop of beautiful valleys, lakes, and mountains. Being stupid. Being sweet. Teasing each other. Goofing off. Being themselves without judgement from the outside world. Add in the adult joys of the delightfully sinful nature and he'd be set for eternity with this man.

“You know you love meeee,” the blocker deflected in affectionate singsong, pulling the small cat down into a ground hug which was kinda awkward because he still had his backpack buffer strapped to his chest. “And I love you too little kitty. You know that, right? That I love you more than anything?”

“Yes…” Kenma sighed wearily, shaking his head the tiniest bit in exasperation as he leaned against the dark messy strands that he had accused of being "too emo" so many times. In truth, the small cat actually found them to be quite handsome, especially as Kuroo had aged well into his defined facial features. They were also excellent for running his dexterous gamer's fingers through and were softer than anyone else could probably imagine. 

Except for maybe Bokuto... The two of them were sometimes uncomfortably handsy with one another. It had something to do with their weird “bro” bond, which allowed them to casually ruffle each other’s hair, slap each other’s asses, and hang off each other like _they_ were the ones dating. Kenma didn’t really care and he knew it was different from what they had, so mostly it was just annoying when they were in public and the two had no shame coupled with being ridiculously loud about it.

Somewhere on the mountain a hawk's cry pierced through the air to their perked up ears, but neither of them moved or acknowledged it. This hug was a good one, despite the grass and the mud and the lumpy pack wedged between them.

Kuroo was suddenly _very_ grateful for the fully-loaded daybag he held his hoodied companion through. This was not only because his heart was going off in unusual rapid-fire palpitations, but because it fully concealed the metaphorical piece of that same heart he wanted to give to Kenma as soon as he could. He was sure he'd have a small circle pressed into his tit at this point if he looked.

"Can I get a kiss?" Kuroo asked softly into the ear that was half obscured by a flick of bi-colored bang. 

He heard Kenma exhale lightly over his shoulder and felt him shift in the hug so that their faces could meet. The half-lidded Kozume pretty eyes were back, softening far beyond the look he'd had when he was wracked with irritated concern. Now they were affectionately neutral, tinted with thoughtful, curious consideration.

"Only if you behave," Kenma warned in his own half serious, half playful tone as his dark lashes fluttered shut and his nose slid in carefully next to Kuroo's. Those soft, forgiving lips fit themselves perfectly against the eager ones that waited hopefully for them. The small cat was even gracious enough to continue beyond the expected quick peck, lapping in a few more rolling waves of lazy kisses against Kuroo's big bullshitting mouth. 

Tetsurou felt his tension start to melt away as he deepened the kiss from below, running tan fingers up to stroke past the mildly sun-exposed skin of Kenma's cheek then up into his hair. Brushing a bang back as he held him there and continued to move his lips to the steady rhythm his lover set. His other hand stealthily snaked up Kenma's thigh and under the back of his hoodie where it pressed into the warm skin hiding there. 

God, it was hot when his boyfriend was on top. Good thing they weren't completely pressed up against each other because Kuroo was fairly certain his dick was getting excited by all the unexpected midday face sucking.

Kenma broke first for air, panting wetly just above Kuroo's lips. Too lazy or too unwilling to back off completely. Their breaths mixed hot together.

"Mmmm," the small cat purred as he snuggled his head against Kuroo's, his fingers lovingly kneading the sides of the fluffy black rooster waves.

Sure he wasn't very verbal often, but to be loved by Kenma meant so much more than words. It was affectionate headbutts and cuddles, feel good scratches, casual side bumps, leaning that slowly turned into laying, a warm body curled up against his own, and so many fucking adorable throat noises that it just crushed Kuroo's soul in all the best ways possible. To be touched by him, loved by him was everything. He was his everything. He'd known that, but Kenma still proved it over and over again to him.

So could… could this be it? 

Maybe..?

Had the time finally come..? 

Even though Kuroo was covered in mud and rolling in the grass with throbbing ankle pain sans brace even though he totally packed it in his daybag and rain was just starting to—

“Wait, rain? What the fuck?” Kuroo said quickly, ruining the moment as he sat up startled and blinked stupidly at the sky as if he didn’t quite believe that it _could_ rain.

“It’s been building all day…” Kenma commented neutrally, feeling a few flicks of light moisture touch his face too.

“Yea, but I checked the weather and it said…”

The weather app on the tall cat’s phone did indeed say clouds with only a 10% chance of rain… however it hadn’t refreshed since Friday. 

Fucking _Friday._

“Son of a bitch!” Kuroo cursed unable to refresh the app because there was _still_ no stupid signal out here. He wanted to chuck his phone off the mountain.

"Maybe we can let it pass up there?" Kenma suggested.

When Kuroo turned around his eyes widened.

They were here.

And by the curious look of wonder that had clouded Kenma's eyes, they may have finally made it to match point after all.

—

The rain fell steadier and dotted the old weather-worn and moss-covered stone lanterns as the two cats sprinted up the ancient steps that lead into the forest across the small meadow. 

Weeds grew up in between the grimy, broken stones that had been clearly worn down some time ago, but now revealed their obsolescence by the thick layers of speckled green and gray lichen that consumed them. They slinked under an equally nature-claimed stone torii gate and a chill ran down Kenma’s spine as they did so.

“Oi! Here’s good babe,” Kuroo yanked Kenma’s sleeve and pulled him off the path and under a little mostly-covered four corner pavilion. There was a half-mutilated wood divider board crumbling to pieces at the center.

Everything smelled like rain and grass and mystery.

“What is this place?” Kenma coughed and wiped the wet from his cheeks under his hood with a too-long sweater cuff. He was still catching his breath. Why did Kuroo _always_ have to make them run…

“What’s it look like?” 

The tall cat was biting a tiny corner of his lip in a coy half smile. Normally he only did this when he was really excited about something or really nervous.

Kenma sighed and, still huffing for air, glanced at their surroundings.

They appeared to be in an old Shinto complex of some sort—abandoned some time ago, perhaps when Shinto was initially banned in Japan or maybe even far before that. Everything was overgrown with thatches of dried grass and every kind of weed imaginable, many even growing on the rooftops of the dilapidated buildings that still stood here. Opportunistic bushes and vines were slowly claiming the terraces, entrance ways, and foundations of the same half destroyed structures. The once intricate main temple at the center had half its earthy roof crushed in and the entire left side was just… missing. Everywhere he looked, Kenma wondered what had happened to this place.

It was creepy… and awesome.

“I guess it’s some kind of abandoned shrine,” the small cat reflected as his golden eyes trailed back to the little alcove that sheltered them from the light precipitation.

"Ruins, sweet kitty. They're ruins."

"Did you know this was here?" Kenma couldn't help the tiniest flicker of a smile that snuck up on him. 

"Mayybeee," Kuroo grinned fully now and looped an arm around Kenma to pull him gracelessly into a smug side hug. 

"I thought you'd think they were cool. Like something from one of your games or battle maps or whatever you call em."

Huh. Kenma hadn’t thought Kuroo actually paid that much attention to what he was doing in games. Sometimes he'd ask a question or two like how he was able to fight a creature five times his size or why a magic item looked so phallic if it wasn’t _for_ that or what all the other players had done to deserve getting beat up by Kodzuken the Asskicker—but largely Kuroo minded his own business in this department. He did play some of the standard-issue, multiplayer party games if friends were over, but he sucked pretty hard at them and he knew it. The alcohol involved didn’t help.

"Hm. Yea… this is pretty cool..." the former setter agreed as he stood with Kuroo's arm wrapped casually around his shoulder. Instinctively, he leaned into him.

They both stood there listening and absorbing the primordial forest, decimated shrine ruins, and the spiritual energy that felt almost tangible in the wet air. There were stories here. So many untold or forgotten memories that were lost to time—buried with the people who must have loved this place centuries ago. It was kind of impressive that any of this still stood at all.

"We'll explore more when the rain stops," Kuroo promised, squeezing his boyfriend's small shoulder.

"Sounds good," Kenma leaned his head slightly to rest against Kuroo’s arm, still taking it all in. "It's crazy to see something like this in person… I wonder why they made it all the way up here. I mean I get the sacred mountaintop thing, but it's sorta ridiculous if people came up on foot…"

"Mm. I think some people are willing to go the distance for what they believe in babe."

"Maybe…"

The rain padded down around them, dancing in pools around the aged stone and wooden structures. It must have been very beautiful at one time. It was beautiful now too of course, but in a mysteriously haunting way. Kenma loved the open-world-RPG-like intrigue. He wanted to explore more, maybe check for traps and sneak up on a ghostly ritual or some other adventure nonsense with his lanky sidekick sorcerer. Maybe there was a magical item he was meant to find here among the ruins...

"I think this was for wishes. This thing we're standing under," Kuroo mused, looking up to survey the impressive slatted roof of the shelter that somehow stood the test of time enough to cover them both in this moment. Proving useful so far after its original purpose had vanished.

"Huh… could have been," Kenma mused, imagining all the little wooden prayer plaques with hopes and dreams and scribbled drawings hanging up. If there had been any, they were lost to history now too.

"You know what I'd wish for?" Kuroo continued thoughtfully.

"Hm?"

"I'd wish for more time with you," the roosterhead hip-bumped him playfully through their side hug.

"Haven't you had enough yet?" The semi blonde asked skeptically, looking up with wrinkled smiling brows.

"What? _No._ Why would you even say that Kenma?" The blocker seemed more serious than Kenma expected him to be. 

"Because it hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows Kuroo." 

Kenma wanted to add _"And you literally stabbed me with a needle this morning and then spent hours worrying about relapse bullshit,"_ but he refrained because he didn't want to make Kuroo feel bad or wreck his good mood. 

"So what? Life isn't perfect. It is what it is. I still like that we got to spend all this time together."

"Hm. Never again."

At this, Kuroo suddenly let go of the small cat balking with genuinely affronted and open-mouthed disbelief.

"I'm _kidding,"_ Kenma clarified, snatching the lanky sweatered arm back so that he could draw close on his boyfriend's warmth again. 

He knew he had freaked Kuroo out that morning, but _geez_ was he wound up lately in general. Kenma still wondered what they were going to do to get him to chill out once they got home because clearly going on vacation was _not_ for chilling purposes in Kuroo's book. Adventuring was tough shit sometimes and it vaguely reminded Kenma of all those hard nights they'd spent on the islands a few years ago. All the challenges, mental and physical, that they'd somehow endured together and alone. And although good had come from it all in the end he would never, EVER do it again.

But maybe…

Just maybe, he'd consider another trip like this with Kuroo. If he got to help plan it or something. If more relaxing was involved. He missed the internet after all. Solid wifi and 4G minimum would be mandatory.

There was a rumble of thunder far in the distance.

Kuroo said nothing as he allowed Kenma to snuggle his way back under his arm and into his side. A perpetually cold hand snuck inside the warm sweater pocket above his own.

"Well… uh..." Kuroo began, licking his lips and actually bothering to think about the words that came next.

Kenma waited patiently, though he was taking longer than he usually did. Curious.

"Would you uh… Do you think you'd… You probably wouldn't want to do something like this again, would you?" The blocker babbled out hastily. He stared at the raindrops pooling on the ground just outside their shelter.

"I wouldn't say that," the gamer replied slowly.

"But you wouldn't say yes?"

"Kuroo, you'd just have to ask me," Kenma rolled his eyes not knowing why he was going into this now. They were still out _doing_ things together. It wasn't the end of the world or anything.

"I'm not going to ask you if I know you're just going to say no," Kuroo pouted with a deep frown still not looking at him.

"Well, you miss every shot you don't take," the small cat quipped.

"Hey, didn't I teach you that?" Kuroo shouldered his boyfriend and finally looked down at him with a small smirk on his face.

"You wish." The former setter fought to contain his smile. It was hard to keep a straight face around him sometimes.

The rain appeared to be letting up a little bit, falling in more sporadic spread out streaks.

"So you might say yes?" Kuroo continued with a seriousness that didn't seem necessary for this conversation.

"I might say yes," Kenma vaguely humored him.

"You're so mysterious Kozume-san."

"I am not. I just answered your stupid question."

"Are too. And there are no stupid questions!" Kuroo shot back, parroting his dad's old saying.

"Oh my god..."

"You are too times infinity. There. I win," the snarky blocker bragged and pinched his boyfriend's ass in mischievous spite.

"You win _nothing,"_ Kenma argued, swatting Kuroo's hand off of him as the tall cat attempted to get another pinch in.

"Oh, I win _something_ little kitty," the ornery bed-headed fool boasted with a fire in his eyes that wasn't there before. He was able to land another pinch even if Kenma did get a critical hit smacking his hand right afterwards.

"Such as?" The small cat stared up at him with deadpanned curiosity. 

"More time with you," Kuroo purred. With that, he grabbed Kenma’s waist and affectionately drew him close to capture the sweet, sassy lips against his own.

It was exactly what he'd wished for all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, I don't think they grew up, did they? Bless these crazy guys and their silly adventure...
> 
> Also, happy Kuroken week everyone! I feel like every week is Kuroken week, but it's nice to see all the fabulous work people have been sharing.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and if you have thoughts/feelings/opinions—let me know what you think!


	11. The Rocks

"You would be so dead right now if we were actually in game," Kenma commented, rolling his golden eyes a bit as he stood still waiting in the mist.

Kuroo carefully slinked from the shadows of a blown out wall in one of the dilapidated Shinto structures they'd been exploring for the past few hours in between raindrops that afternoon. Kenma had refused to enter this particular one because while he appreciated the raw beauty and creepiness of the abandoned temple complex, he felt like if there really were ghosts here they would without a doubt be holed up in the last place they had left to sweep. That's how levels and boss battles worked. No thank you. 

"Dead? Why's that? I'm not on fire or anything, am I?" Kuroo frowned peering at his backside and under each foot as if he were checking for any obvious signs of disaster on his person. He was unscathed save for the bit of mud still on his legs and hiking shoes from their jaunt through the forest plus the grass stains on his sweater and cargo shorts from the resulting crash landing.

"Because you always charge in head first without looking where you're going," the semi blonde stated matter-of-factly. 

Kenma held onto the straps of his backpack as his boyfriend finally hopped down from the wooden planks and navigated his way through the tall dried grasses grown up around the building. A few bounding leaps later the tall cat rejoined the small cat on the old stone path in the overgrown courtyard garden between the forest's edge and the dirt trail running along the backside of the structures. Fortunately, the rain had stopped for the moment, leaving them mostly dry in the cloudy overcast haze.

"You don't even check for traps," Kenma blandly added, flicking a long bang back out of his eyes.

Kuroo, who lacked any personal space boundaries because he was an ornery shit when he was in a good mood, loomed so close to Kenma that the former setter had to tip his head back to stare up into the mischievous dark grays beyond the black frames. Even with his old man glasses and black MSBY cap on, Kuroo was a handsome guy. Angular and mouthy sure, but deviously attractive all the same.

"What's wrong with that? Somebody’s gotta lead the charge and I recall you saying _‘no fucking way'_ when I mentioned beauty before age back there," the blocker crooned, brushing his fingers along Kenma's cheek and lovingly tucking the black and blonde strand behind his ear.

The bed-headed blocker was beaming with that easy smile he was so well-known for. Some called it a grin, others a smirk, but today it really was a genuine smile. Knowing, sweet, and filled with a lightness that Kenma realized he hadn't seen in him in a while. Like his life's stresses had been temporarily lost in the novelty of playing like kids again here in the ruins together.

Being a man of opportunity, Kuroo took Kenma's decidedly silent unblinking stare as an invitation to snake his lanky sweatered arms down around his waist. He pulled him so close that his multi-colored head was forced to look almost straight up at him now. Bun knotted messily at the gamer's neck as he craned to keep eye contact partially out of stubborness and partially in a show of dominance (usually whoever looked away first was the loser of the point being made).

"You are a spellcaster," Kenma stated bluntly through the most neutral face he could maintain with Kuroo getting handsy. The tall cat's fingers were flexing and curling up his hips under his backpack to keep him close. The ticklish, affectionate friction signaling he was probably about to give more.

 _"So?"_ The blocker raised his eyebrows and cocked his capped roosterhead a bit, running his calloused hands along the soft well-hidden form of his lover's waist. Kenma always hid half his best assets underneath all these baggy clothes. He wanted them off at some point soon.

"So eventually you'll either get speared in the ass or one-shotted by a boss if you're not careful," Kenma warned with the tiniest grin and sly playfulness that absolutely turned Kuroo's pathetic heart to mush. 

"Ohohoho, those sound _delightful,"_ Kuroo snarked cheerfully as he slid his quick wandering hands back down and around the skinny body—this time to knead the cheeks of his boyfriend's cute, underrated butt below his daybag.

"Kuroo, _don't,"_ Kenma squirmed and tried not to smile even though he actually enjoyed the flirty, frisky attention he was often showered with at home. There was something deep inside purring softly at the extreme validation he felt in these intimate moments between them. It had always been there, even before they had put words to their slightly altered relationship. Back when they had grown so comfortable physically together that even their teammates had been speculating that they were dating long before they finally admitted it to themselves. With every casual lean, every playful shoulder whack, and every arm slung casually around his shoulders—this deep contentment expressed through so many wordless touches may as well have been the foundation of their epically strange and cozy romance. Kenma treasured it, even if he didn't necessarily feel super comfortable sharing it with the world thanks to the well-intended (and not so well-intended) harassment from friends, family, and strangers.

However, this didn't change the fact that no matter how sweet his affectionate boyfriend was being Kenma _still_ didn't want to break their impromptu staring contest. He had been doing so well and Kuroo _always_ won these goddammit.

"Don't what babe?" Kuroo breathed, holding him close and leaning his face down to nuzzle the black silky roots. His long nose messed up Kenma's part as he planted a soft, lingering kiss on his forehead. 

The staring contest was over. One point to Kozume for outlasting his flirtatious opponent.

Also, head kisses. Two points to Kozume for being irresistible.

"Don't…" Kenma muttered again without any real protest behind it, which was good because he didn't even get to finish that sentiment. 

Instead, Kuroo ate the words off his tongue with a deep, wet kiss that he should have fully expected given how far south those persistent blocker's hands still were. They now pulled and pressed him flush against the too tall body of the man who somehow loved him enough to drag him far away from all the convenience, technology, and comfort of home to spend time together in these places of raw beauty and wonder. Kuroo was a sweet and strange enigma who never failed to keep him on his toes, both figuratively and literally because Kenma was trying to lift himself up enough to fully enjoy the pleasurable electric glory that was Kuroo's mouth against his own.

Even through his hoodie, Kenma felt the curious beginnings of his boyfriend stiffen against his stomach. Kuroo continued to hold him firm and lap kiss after rolling kiss against the former setter's lips which had parted helplessly open for him. Letting him explore the places he already knew well because there was no one here and because he felt his own resolve starting to wane from the familiar dizzying makeout high.

At some point the small cat's hands had braced themselves on Kuroo's forearms offering the slightest tug of resistance.

The tall cat broke his rhythmic face-nomming assault, but didn't pull away. Breaths mixing warm together as his words brushed deep over Kenma's lips.

"...Too much?"

There was heat in Kenma's body now too. Kuroo and his goddamn trouble-making mouth.

"Not enough," Kenma admitted as he gently pushed Kuroo's arms down enough to release his vice grip on his ass."We should save it for later though. Seriously. I'm not fucking you in place like this."

"Awwww, why not?" Kuroo whined with a still boyish naughty gleam in his eyes (there may have been more than a little poorly-disguised disappointment in there too). The blocker did reluctantly let go of his boyfriend's scrawny-but-you-wouldn't-know-it body and settled for clinging heavily onto Kenma's hoodied arm instead. 

Kuroo sure seemed needy today in general. Like he was afraid to spend too much time apart or too much time not touching. Maybe it was a comfort thing or maybe he was unconsciously trying not to "lose him." Sometimes when they were out and about in the city or in crowded areas Kuroo got possessive like this, even if it made Kenma nervous because others could see them together. But an arm slung casually around a "friend's" shoulder could be played off, and oddly enough so could this clingy shit on his arm. It was endearing even if he was legit _heavy._

"Did you hear me when I said you're a spellcaster who's going to get one-shotted in the ass if you don't watch your back?" Kenma forced down his small smile and rolled his golden eyes again. 

"You can one-shot me in the ass anytime babe!" The bed-headed fool said brightly, shifting to holding his partner's much smaller and paler hand as Kenma began to pull them back towards the main entrance.

"Maybe later," the gamer sighed with mild exhaustion.

Which reminded him that there was still one fairly significant side quest they'd yet to complete. Maybe once they got back to the cabin Kuroo would still be game.

—

It wasn't difficult to navigate back through the ruins and retrace their steps until they were on the proper main path again. This particular trek was a loop trail similar to the lake in that it was one large circuit that would lead them back to their car eventually. Unfortunately, it was more uphill this time to get back to that area, so while some of it was gradual there were a few areas with rather steep, rocky switchbacks to ascend much to the disappointment of Kenma's deficient thigh muscles.

Oddly, there were still no discernable traces of other humans or even birds, so the forest was only filled with the wet hush of their footsteps, the wind in the trees, and the light patter of rain that had started up again. There wasn't that much precipitation really, just enough to warrant hoods up but not enough for Kuroo to batwing Kenma underneath his zipup and water-resistant windbreaker that he finally put on. The lightweight jacket had been a lucky score as the bed-headed fool found it balled up at the bottom of his pack while they ate their lunch on a mostly not-destroyed part of the main temple earlier.

The two adventuring cats had just made it up a series of rather exhausting sharp inclines and finally gotten to the top of a more flatish wooded area that must have been near the end of the trail because the terrain felt familiar in that way.

"Kenma," Kuroo stated as they walked hand in hand through the peaceful wet mountain forest. Beads of moisture dotted the bill of his cap which stuck out from under his hoods.

"Kuroo," the former setter humored him in monotone as per usual. Golden cat-like eyes flickered up to him.

"All this rain," the blocker began, peering up stoically through the red and orange-leafed canopy. A streak of water rolled down his cheek below his flattened rooster fringe, flicking right off his chin.

Kenma raised his eyebrows slightly.

"It makes me gotta pee.”

 _"Oh my god,"_ the gamer groaned deeply and tried to pull his hand out of Kuroo's but was wholly unsuccessful with that. 

_"What?"_ Kuroo's obnoxiously loud laugh echoed through the wilderness. "Babe, nature is _calling me_ to go piss off the side of this mountain!"

"...Must you?" Kenma deadpanned. Hard.

"That I must, little kitty! I mean if you _didn’t_ pee in the woods, did you really do the whole trail? It's alllll part of the quest Kenma!" Kuroo laughed gregariously as he broke their warm handhold and loped off the damp dirt pathway into the trees to find the perfect place to take a leak.

“Don’t fall off,” Kenma scoffed, rolling his eyes (in Kuroo's book it would be a No.4 “ _You’re ridiculous, but okay”_ classification) and shifted his backpack slightly on his shoulders. It wasn't like he had a lot in his pack, but he was pretty beat all things considered. This little historical ruins adventure had been enough to salvage their day as far as he was concerned and now he just wanted to go back to the cabin and chill the hell out. The weather didn't seem like it wanted them to hike anymore anyway...

Raindrops pattered more steadily down from the colorful forest canopy above.

Kenma waited there on the trail awkwardly wondering if anyone else would come by precisely when the chances of accidentally seeing dick were the highest. That's how life worked, right? Like the other night at the hot spring. Or when you're the only ones in the showers for two whole minutes before a hoard of exuberant loud-mouths showed up to ruin it. (Okay, perhaps it wasn't fair to blame the Nekoma boys for good aftergame hygiene, but still). Maybe this trail just wasn't as popular because it was too far up the mountains and not as accessible as many of the others. Not seeing anyone up here this whole time was certainly pleasing to Kenma’s introverted soul, but it also struck him as kind of odd. Did no one else really know about this place? Or did people puss out because of the weather? Or maybe they were all eaten by bears..?

There came a deep, echoing shout vibrating through the rain-streaked autumn woods.

Kenma glared in Kuroo’s general direction. 

“Don’t be a jerk,” the small cat raised his volume towards his boyfriend’s distant voice. 

The only reply was the precipitation softly landing on every rock, tree, and leaf-covered surface in sight. The sounds that he usually loved to fall asleep to felt eerie in that moment.

“It’s not funny Kuroo,” Kenma spoke again a bit louder this time.

But all he heard was the steadying gentle taps of water that were hitting the damp soil on the path and bouncing off all the vibrant nature surrounding him.

“Kuroo?" The small cat called out now in earnest, feeling a little put off by the lack of a smartass callback in response. 

Frogs were singing somewhere in the puddles of wild foliage.

“Kuroo!” He tried again, straining his normally soft voice to project as much as he could, but only his own echo returned to him as it bounced off the moss-covered trees and boulders and homes of tiny creatures. 

“Tetsurou Kuroo, if I come over there and you’re doing something stupid with your dick out then I’m _done,”_ Kenma groaned loud enough for that to echo too and reluctantly trudged off the trail into the wet undergrowth of forgotten leaves.

The scattered raindrops were falling even steadier now, chasing the gamer as he yanked up his hood higher.

Where the _hell_ did he run off to? Was this just another stupid jump scare tactic where he'd try to get a rise of Kenma then glomp him as he got royally chewed out with Kodzuken levels of merciless wrath? Surprises like _that_ weren't funny and he didn't know why Kuroo had to be such an immature goofball sometimes. Certainly he loved that aspect of him too, but it could also be mentally draining if he was being a jackass just for his own self-amused shits and giggles. If he thought for one second that Kenma was going to find creative piss drawings on rock walls amusing like a child or Bokuto then he had better—

Kenma stopped. 

He'd entered a small rock-surfaced clearing surrounded by gigantic sheer cuts of the stone up into the trees and down into the lower forest beyond. The edge was clearly steep and even at a distance Kenma felt some kind of vertigo cloud his head, but he swore he saw him come this way so he had to be close...

"Kuroo!" Kenma yelled once more into the woods and out over the rocky dropoff before every cell in his body froze with a sickening, paralyzing dread.

Some meters down the rain-streaked stone ledge was the all too familiar logo of a white-stitched jackal on a matte black hat.

“KURO!” The semi blonde’s voice was drowned out by the rushes of rain water flowing off the steep ledge into the unknown.

But still there was nothing. Kenma’s heart was threatening to beat out of his ribcage, up out his throat, or both as a pulsing gush of adrenaline flooded his body. 

So he ran.

As fast as he could back to the trail, down the arduous switchbacks, and into the lower forest where they had just been. His mind flicking through every horrifying scenario for what could have possibly happened to his boyfriend while also trying not to completely lose his shit to fear. Why had he been so stupid to even let Kuroo go off to piss by himself? He wasn’t fucking mature enough to do that out at sporting events or in public in general—usually coming back with a gigantic grin and some kind of disgusting and/or asinine bathroom story that Kenma had to glare down before he got too detailed for the curious innocent ears around them. On more than one occasion the small cat thought he would die from secondhand embarrassment alone.

Kenma could hardly breathe. The trail blurred furiously below his frantic pace.

_I will not hike alone._

The rain picked up as he ran causing him to fall, twice, in the slick puddles that laid just off the beaten path beyond an old wooden kilometer marker.

_I will stay on marked trails._

If… if Kuroo had fallen, where would he be now? Could he survive a fall from that height? How far did it even go down? The stupid trees were in the way so he couldn’t even be sure of that. Maybe he hadn’t fallen at all? Maybe the wind had just gotten a hold of his hat? But his fucking hat was under two damn hoods, it couldn’t have been blown off that easily... Why didn't he take him seriously when he heard Kuroo cry out? And why hadn’t Kuroo answered when he called his name after that? What if… what if…

Kenma paused his muddy trek through the wild brush, frantically glancing around for any signs of life. He saw nothing but empty, wet forest. His breaths were shallow as his long drenched bangs clung to his face.

_If I get lost I’ll STOP: Stop, think, observe, and plan._

That’s when it fully dawned on Kenma that Kuroo hadn’t been a dumbass at all with his silly hiking rules, super-specific “unnecessary” internet purchases, and his seemingly strange overpacking for what was supposed to be just a quick, spontaneous long weekend trip together.

Kenma fumbled with his backpack zipper, fingers shaking as he drew the emergency whistle he’d been teasing Kuroo with that morning to his lips. 

The sound pierced the air cutting through the deafening rain. His breath was still unsteady when he blew again and again. Eyes darting in all directions for a sign, movement, _anything_ that could offer him a clue.

Hope melted back into sheer, unadulterated panic that coursed through his veins as the seconds turned to minutes. Kenma was absolutely going to throw up, but before he could do so there came another high-pitched, shrill tone faintly echoing from the trees off to his left. 

The former setter bolted all the while blowing on his own shrieking whistle as cautious relief washed over him. 

Kuroo was this way. He'd answered. He was alive and coherent enough to know what to do and how to help the small cat find him when just a moment before he was so sure that this would be how his boyfriend died—taking an epic piss falling off a mountain and breaking his neck. Holy _fuck_ , if he was fine after all of this Kenma was going to _murder_ him.

His target was close now, the returning whistle blaring just meters from him up ahead as the scrawny gamer dodged trees and puddles and slippery patches of the same mountainous stone from the clearing above.

Then he was there. All lanky limbs, form, and big ridiculous bedhead accounted for. 

Kuroo's eyes were closed, still blowing on his own emergency whistle as he sat on the ground and leaned his backpack against the slick rock wall behind him. One scuffed up leg bent full up to his chest, the other straight out across the leaves and saturated soil.

Kenma approached out of breath and shaking, not believing what his eyes were telling him until he stood above his boyfriend and gently plucked the screaming whistle from his mouth.

"Ah!" Kuroo peered up through the dark mess of drenched fringe clinging to his face. He seemed just as dazed and disbelieving as his counterpart.

Something flinched in those worried golden eyes and Kenma immediately dropped to the ground—burying himself in what had to be one of most heartbreakingly relieved hugs he'd ever had in his life.

"You found me," Kuroo chuckled lightly despite there being zero humor in the situation. A slow hand cupped the former setter's back. "Good job."

Kenma refused to remove his face from his boyfriend's chest. He could hear his heart beating much slower than the thing that was having an episode in his own rib cage.

"Hey, it's okay babe," the blocker said softly, moving his gentle touch up to pat the wet strands of black and blonde hair laying motionless over him. 

Another lie.

"Kenma, look at me. I'm fine. It's okay, really. I just have a few cuts and probably some nasty bruises coming my way, but I'm good," Kuroo tried to nudge his boyfriend up off him, but the small cat didn't budge.

"How?" Came a soft, groggy voice from below.

"How what?" The tall cat asked as casually as if someone were asking about a family recipe or a volleyball play.

"How the hell are you okay? What happened?" Kenma tried to slow his breathing down, but it still felt like he was moments away from having lost almost everything that made his life worth living.

The blocker shifted to hold his companion more comfortably (given the circumstances), wrapping worse for wear arms around him in what was probably the grossest, wettest cuddle they had ever shared in all their years together.

"Well, I was taking a piss," Kuroo explained all too casually again. "And when I was done zipping up the goods I uh... I slipped."

There it was again.

"And yanno, cats have nine lives and all, so I think I have like seven—wait no, _six_ left and—"

"You need to stop," Kenma said quietly into the drenched and clinging t-shirt.

"Stop what?" Kuroo asked with a curious frown.

"Lying to me," Kenma stated simply.

The gamer lifted himself up to stare him full in the face with all the repressed emotions he felt before now bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

Kuroo's mouth hung slightly open. 

"I… Kenma, I _did_ slip. That's not a lie. It just wasn't all that far of a fall and—"

"Why did you slip?" His boyfriend interrupted, dangerously quiet.

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it _is_ raining,” Kuroo mused, lifting his eyes to the dripping brightly-colored canopy above.

The semi blonde continued to stare with all the silent force that indicated he knew it wasn't just the shitty weather.

"Dude, I'm _fine._ What's it matter if—"

"Because I need you to tell me the _truth,"_ Kenma stated again, this time more slowly as if Kuroo had a head injury (which he didn't). Overall he actually did seem okay except for a few rugged smudges of dirt and debris mostly on his forearms and legs. Like he had curled up when he fell, protecting his head save for the red mark on the bridge of his nose where his glasses had been. Likewise, his daybag had probably protected his spine.

"Oh. Okay, well, because I... uh…" Kuroo's dark gray eyes fell to the ground before they glanced guiltily back up to his boyfriend. "Probably because I fucked up my ankle... Like… before all this I mean..." He admitted with a decent amount of shame in his deep voice.

"No _shit,"_ Kenma replied, scooting off of him. He immediately began to inspect his boyfriend's leg that was tucked up close to him.

"Excuse me?" The roosterhead blinked dumbly.

"No. Shit. Kuroo. _Christ..."_ The small cat hissed as he began pressing his thumbs into Kuroo's calf and down towards his now fairly visibly swollen ankle.

"Wait, you _knew..?_ Ow ow ow! _"_

"Do you _really_ think you can hide crap like that from me?" The irritated gamer threw him a hard stare then lowered his eyes back to the injury.

Kuroo bit his lip.

"I don't understand why you don't trust me," Kenma's voice softened as he paused his fingers along the thoroughly nature-beaten joint.

"I do trust you!" The tall cat shot back.

Kenma glanced up looking more disappointed in him than maybe he ever had been, and that was saying something because Kuroo had fucked up _plenty_ in the past but this felt so different. He never meant to make Kenma feel like something as basic as their foundation of _trust_ had been breached.

"Babe, I _do_ trust you. With my life. With everything! I really do. I—I just… I didn't think it was a big deal. Sometimes you get hurt and you just need to muscle through it yanno..."

"I could have helped you if you told me," Kenma stated in that neutral, non-blaming tone that supported the hypothesis that he was in fact more disappointed than angry or anything else right now.

"There wasn't anything you could have done Kenma," Kuroo countered, softly defeated. 

"That's not for you to decide."

The rain was still coming down making it look like Kenma was crying, but he wasn't. At least Kuroo was pretty sure he wasn't...

"Kenma, I am _sorry_ —I just… I just didn't want to make a big deal over nothing," the blocker muttered.

"Clearly it's not nothing if you fucking fell off the side of a mountain," the small cat sniffed bitterly. 

"It was more of a steep hill," the blocker couldn't prevent the smartassery before it left his lips.

_"Kuroo."_

"Kenma," the tall cat gave a tiny smile in hopes that it would be infectious.

"How did you do it?" Kenma asked instead of responding to his boyfriend's attempts to lighten the mood. He needed answers.

Kuroo sighed with the weight of something heavy on his heart. Perhaps another thing to solve once they were out of this mess.

"At the gym. During a warm up with the guys."

"When?"

"About a month ago…"

Kenma groaned. 

"Tell me why I shouldn't feel like an idiot right now," the semi blonde breathed out with his eyes decidedly closed, two fingers pressed into his temple like he was summoning the patience of a demigod to help him deal with the absurdity of this whole messed up situation.

 _"What?_ Kenma, you didn't do anything wrong. You know I don't like…" The blocker paused to choose his words more carefully. "You know how I get with injuries and crap..."

Yes, he did know. All too well. 

While Kuroo was apt to share his honest thoughts and feelings at the drop of a ball, he often hid his physical pain behind that brilliant, cocky smile. In general, he didn't like to complain or "bring anyone else down" with him. Kenma could only guess it was his leftover captain's attitude. No pain, no gain. Don't sweat the small stuff. Be strong for the team. Don't make your problems their problems. Don't bring them down. Work hard to lift them up...

"Yea, but we're not ignorant little kids or stupid teenagers anymore Kuroo," Kenma reasoned as he tried to process everything that had happened in the last five minutes. "With all the shit we've been through I thought you'd know by now that you can trust me with anything..."

"Babe, I _do_ know that. I know." Kuroo tried to reach for his hand, but he was evaded.

"Then why were you lying all this time…" Kenma mumbled, staring at the ankle that represented something that wasn't quite a betrayal but also wasn't as innocent as a fool's blind mistake.

"At first I didn't want to burden you," his lanky, battered boyfriend admitted wearily. Slipping a finger along his nose to push up glasses that weren't there. "You've got enough stress with your company and everything else going on..."

"Then what?"

There had to be more. Kenma wasn't going to let the guilt he felt over having to focus so much of his energy on BBCorp vs. Kuroo cloud his judgement.

"Then… then I didn't want you to say no…"

"No to what?"

"To… uh… to coming?"

"Coming?"

"On the trip…"

The rainfall had lightened now, but it filled the heavy silence between them.

"I would have said no," Kenma confirmed bluntly.

"Precisely," Kuroo agreed, trying to keep his tone factual.

"That's not really a good excuse to lie to me Kuroo." The gamer’s mouth flat-lined into his classic serious stare.

"Are you _sure_ it's not though? Cause I thought I could manage it and it _was_ getting better—"

"And now you've made it worse," Kenma stated sourly.

"Well, _maybe_ , but it could have just as easily gotten worse at home!" The blocker pointed out.

Kenma straight up ignored this.

"So did you bring it?"

"Bring what?"

"Your brace, dummy. Did you bring your brace or tape or anything?"

"Well… yea…"

Kenma got up, pushed on Kuroo's shoulder until he leaned forward off the rocky surface, and helped him get his backpack off. The small cat took a few moments to rifle through it then handed Kuroo an ice pack from their cooler lunch bag. His fingers continued to search for the brace which had recently been missing from their bin of general medical and sports-related ailment stuff in the cabinet under the sink in their bathroom. 

The former setter found the brace inside an old soft drawstring Nekoma bag along with extra pairs of hiking socks, pain relief, wet wipes, a travel pack of tissues, a few granola bars, and a condom.

Kenma's eyebrows furrowed.

"Were you planning on having sex with someone else up here?"

"Huh?" Kuroo cracked open his dark gray eyes like he had drifted off for a moment. He looked just as exhausted as Kenma felt.

Kenma held up the small black packaged ring between two fingers.

"Okay, Kenma, NO. _Sometimes_ we use 'em, right? Depending on… _circumstances,"_ the lanky blocker blustered having obviously forgotten that he had packed it all.

Kenma raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my god you little brat, don't make me say it…"

The former setter tried to hide his unintentional grin at his boyfriend's rare embarrassment and graciously questioned no more. He tossed Kuroo the brace and the velcro stretch wrap. 

The tall cat wiggled out of his dirty hiking sneaker and peeled off the pretty disgusting, mud-drenched sock replacing it with a clean one that Kenma handed to him. He fitted the tight black compression sleeve over his foot and up the swollen ankle then wrapped the separate stretchy band underneath and criss-crossed over his foot before securing the velcro at the back. Slipping his shoe back on did not look like fun at all.

Kenma had seen his boyfriend do this a million times before, and Kuroo had done it for him occasionally too when he fell hard the wrong way during a game or at practice (hence why he tried not to move a lot on the court). But the blocker had become so good at hiding or brushing off his own pain that most people never even noticed when he wasn't operating at 100% full butt-kicking-volleyball-go power. Right now, though it was subtle, Kenma knew it hurt and he felt so stupid for not realizing that it must have been aching this whole time they had been out here doing trails and exploring together. Why did his lovable idiot do this to himself? What could even be worth that kind of silent suffering? Kenma would have _gladly_ spent quality time with him at home if that’s all he wanted...

“Whelp, we oughta get this over with,” Kuroo grunted as he braced the rock wall and tried to stand up.

Kenma moved so quickly that by the time the tall cat opened his eyes from his lip-biting grimace his boyfriend was already tucked securely under his shoulder. Ready to help. Ready to get his ass back up the inclines leading them to the trailhead parking lot which shouldn’t have been too much further according to his memorized park map.

“You can lean on me you know,” Kenma murmured, knowing full well how _heavy_ Kuroo actually was (due to pure muscle mass and height) compared to how much weight he was resisting putting on him now.

“I know, but I’d like to not crush my valiant hero before he turns in the quest. Shame to lose all that XP, yanno?” His signature grin had returned. He was wet, filthy, and looked like he’d gotten into a drunken college fist fight and lost, but he still smiled like it was all just a game. 

Kenma shook his head, said a silent agnostic prayer of thanks for Kuroo being alive and well(ish), and helped his lanky boyfriend hobble back through the woods towards the safety and comfort awaiting them.

—

The fire was fucking glorious. 

Kenma stretched his born-again clean skin against the fluffy faux-fur blanket and throw pillows sprawled out on the floor in front of the fireplace. Every speck of dirt, mud, and grossness scrubbed away with the shower he’d just taken, leaving him soft and smooth and relieved like it was no one’s business. The warm flames crackled happily beside him, casting everything in a comforting glow because neither of the two exhausted cats had bothered to turn on any lights when they’d finally returned to the cabin. The late afternoon overcast clouds let enough brightness in through the lakeview windows to see just fine, and the fire only added to the calm, low-lit ambiance.

He sipped his hot chocolate and nibbled the sad half-melted marshmallow cat that was pleading for mercy from the rim of his mug. His insides were warming up nicely thanks to the sweet drink and he flexed his bare toes towards the flames feeling the life seep back into them. Heat radiated over his body like a blissful divine healing spell.

The shower was still going because Kuroo had refused to get in with Kenma once they’d returned. In fact, despite being covered head to toe in nature’s worst mud-based fashions, Kuroo didn’t even strip at the genkan like he was apt to do at home (a strange habit leftover from his childhood when he felt too dirty or gross to walk through the house). 

“Aren’t you going to take it all off?” Kenma had asked, puzzled when Kuroo only removed his shoes, brace, socks, sweater, windbreaker, and cargo shorts—leaving his soaked shirt on (super weird) and his briefs (not as weird, but they were soaked through too so… yea, still kinda weird). 

The tall cat jolted when his counterpart reached for his shirt. 

“Nope! Uh, you can totally go first Kenma. I just... hm. I just need a few minutes,” Kuroo babbled cryptically. He wouldn’t look at him. 

“If you need help I can—”

“No, no, it’s not that. I’m fine. Go get your shower babe. I’ll get one after you. I’m grosser than you are so I’d just muck it up anyway.”

“...We could get one together though,” Kenma had suggested slowly. It wasn’t like his boyfriend not to want to bathe together. Sure Kuroo wasn’t keen on shower sex in particular right _now,_ but a regular shower should have been perfectly fine...

“Honestly, you deserve a break from my bullshit Kenma. Seriously. Go relax. I’ll just wait until you’re done,” Kuroo smiled wearily in his damp underclothes. His arms were folded awkwardly over his chest like he was trying to be cool or casual or something, but he still just looked rather uncomfortable. Not to mention that it was a pretty defensive stance for someone who shouldn’t have had much to be defensive about at this point.

Although Kenma didn’t get it he wasn’t about to put off getting clean any longer so he shook his head lightly and simply went with it. He came out of the bathroom a short time later all pink and fresh in another comfy gamer tee and gym shorts combo, toweling off his long mane of multi-colored hair. Kuroo had left him a steaming hot mug of cocoa on the kitchen table and rushed in to take his place, slamming the door and leaving Kenma alone to enjoy a short stint of well-deserved solitude.

The small cat took another sip before setting his drink on the coffee table and laying down on the cozy blankets parallel to the blazing source of pleasant heat. It was nice to be still for a moment. To not think or do anything or be anywhere. To just bask in the singular joy that was a private fireplace in a private cabin with the private wish that his boyfriend would come join him soon.

His ears pricked up at the sound of the shower water turning off.

Kenma sighed and realized that maybe he was hoping for too much. Maybe Kuroo would just want to chill and watch a movie on his tablet or something. He supposed that would be an okay alternative, not an ideal one, but okay enough. He just wanted to be close in whatever way he could get at this point.

Beyond the door his boyfriend was definitely bumping into shit in the bathroom. Something sounded like it banged hard against something else and he heard a muffled curse.

What a hot mess that man was. Kenma loved that hot mess, but all the same it didn’t make him any less of one.

After a few more minutes of strange bumps and bangs in the bathroom, the shower-damp tall cat padded out, frowning all the while and sucking on his top of his middle finger.

“What did you do?” Kenma asked lazily from the floor, hands folded on his chest, drying black and blonde hair spread out over a large evergreen-themed cabin pillow. 

“I can’t see a goddamn thing so I accidentally smashed my finger,” Kuroo muttered over his digit as he approached the gigantic assortment of soft squishy things surrounding Kenma on the floor by the fire. His glasses had unfortunately been cracked in several places during the fall, so he wore them on the drive back but trashed them after that. Apparently he had an old spare pair in their big suitcase.

“Smashed it on what?” Kenma raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“You look quite comfortable,” the rooster-headed blocker mused with a sly smile and totally evaded his question. He gingerly lowered himself down into the huge gaming nest of toasty blankets and plush lounging arrangements.

“I am,” Kenma agreed from his cozy pillow. Without sitting up he reached a hand out to his boyfriend, who complied by giving him his busted finger. The small cat carefully inspected it.

“I think you’ll live.”

Kuroo laughed deeply, slightly snorting at the obvious observation. He was so cheesy. So beautiful.

“Hoo boy! Thank god you’re here to assess all my old man ailments Kenma. I think I’d be a royal fucking mess without you, you know.” 

The freshly clean and spiced scent of his boyfriend filled his senses as Kuroo laid down beside him. Kenma didn’t move, but he did stare back up at him with amused half-lidded affection.

“I don’t think there’s anything preventing you from that fate.” 

Kenma grinned the tiniest bit when Kuroo gawked and advanced on him like a wild panther springing onto its prey. They were so close their noses were nearly touching, lips hovering dangerously above. Kuroo pretended to dominate him even though Kenma was the one currently scoring mad shade points.

“What was that little kitty?” The blocker’s husky voice crooned in low warning.

“I said you’re still a royal fuckable mess,” the former setter egged him on with an even wider smile now. 

“A fucking mess or a fuckable one?” Kuroo breathed as he resisted giving Kenma the kiss he was so blatantly baiting him for.

“A fuckable one.”

Kuroo wasn’t good at saying no to his boyfriend’s coy advances, which is how his mouth ended up aggressively pressed against the cheeky lips that roasted him on a near daily basis in some fashion. Kenma had this dry wit that had never failed to make him laugh or humble his ass down if he was getting too cocky about things. He loved that sassy, soft spoken mouth even if it talked some serious shit half the time.

A moment later the kiss broke apart with a slight pop. Kenma caught his breath as the tall cat’s mildly-abused body scooted closer to the radiating heat of his companion. He propped himself up on an elbow.

Kenma traced the sleeveless edge of his boyfriend’s tank top, gliding lightly over a new bruise.

“Is it bad?” He asked, golden eyes studying the rest of the exposed skin now. His shoulders and forearms looked a bit banged up, but he couldn’t see much else.

“Naw, I’ve had worse,” Kuroo murmured, grabbing a tastefully plaid pillow to lay his head down next to Kenma’s. His dark eyes closed with a contented exhale. 

The small cat continued to delicately stroke his shoulder, then moved up to his prominent collarbone and neck.

“What about the rest of you?” 

“Hm?” The panther-bodied blocker lazily questioned without opening his eyes.

“Aren’t you hurting?” Kenma clarified, flicking his gaze between Kuroo’s face and the soft skin doodles below his fingers.

“I told you I’m okay babe. I’ve been popping pills this whole time. Tomorrow might suck, but we're driving back anyway. I’m fine right now,” he explained with a yawn.

“Are you tired?” The former setter continued, staring at him, cheek squished against the pillow.

“Maybe a little. Aren’t you?” A dark gray eye peeked open.

“I guess,” Kenma said after a pause.

“You guess?” Kuroo’s other eye opened. “Kenma, we did a lot today—like a LOT, a lot. I find it hard to believe you’re not just as wiped as I am.”

"I just want to lay here with you," the gamer countered softly, closing his eyes and running a thin pale hand over the smooth mounds of Kuroo's taut chest. Stopping only when he reached the precise cuts of his abs which he thumbed slowly through the tank.

"You're low on cuddles, huh?" The roosterhead wrapped a tan arm around his boyfriend's head and placed a sweet kiss lightly on his nose. 

Kenma nodded. 

His fingers flexed and gripped his companion's solid core muscles, appreciating how lovely they had stayed with all of Kuroo's hard work at the gym and on the court. Kenma didn't have the same sort of form (and never really did if they were being honest), but his boyfriend loved his perfectly average squishy tum all the same. However, this unconditional love didn't stop the gamer from wanting to _use_ his own core occasionally. For important quests like this at least.

A curious finger slipped down to bat playfully at the drawstrings just below the fine collection of muscles he'd been admiring.

Kuroo grunted hazily from his pillow, but said nothing. His eyes closed and shaded by his messy drying tufts of black hair. He laid motionless, long heavy arm still caging Kenma in protectively.

Kenma took this as permission to do as he pleased, so he swiped a dexterous thumb along the rim of his boyfriend's shorts and watched his face for any reaction. 

But the tall cat just laid there, the firelit glow dancing on the shades of his summer-kissed skin. 

So he did it again and again, teasing a finger along the rim at his belly. Feeling the soft darker hairs against his knuckles as he dipped down below the waistband.

Kuroo groaned a little when he did this. Kenma studied his face, which was calm and neutral but still had a tiny crinkle of muted concentration. Like he knew exactly what his boyfriend was doing, was slightly confused about it, but felt too nice to resist at the moment. 

Kenma was fine with that. Kuroo deserved some affection for all that he'd done for him that day and really every day on this trip anyway. Plus, he'd finally come clean about the ankle thing so that cleared up much of the anxious energy the small cat had been harboring lately. Kuroo still seemed a bit jumpy himself, but maybe he just needed to slow down and relax. Kenma could help with that.

His fingers continued to tease the edge of his boyfriend's shorts, tickling and touching until they found their way in along the angular cut of his hip. They smoothed over the fabric of his underwear and a few curious fingertips bumped into the maturing bulge he was hoping to discover there.

A gentle knuckle pressed into the base of his boyfriend's hard-on and dragged all the way up his growing shaft until it hit the tip, which was starting to dot through his briefs. 

Kuroo moaned this time. A gorgeous, aching moan. 

The semi blonde went to stroke him again, but Kuroo tensed his body making him look up. 

"You don't have to," his companion's deep voice breathed out in a shudder.

"I want to," Kenma said nearly in a whisper. "Can I? Or are you too tired?"

Kuroo shook his head and Kenma didn't know which question he was referring to until his boyfriend's still engorging dick was pressing needfully into his palm. 

He tried to bite back his silent delight as he tugged down the soft folds of the gym shorts and Kuroo adjusted himself to help. His cock certainly didn't _look_ as tired as the rest of him. 

Kenma was by no means a lazy person despite popular belief or the jibes from their friends. Once he knew what he wanted he chased after his ambitions with a laser-pointed focus, which is why he had the foresight to both pack his own miniature tube of apple cinnamon lubricant and then stow it under his pillow while Kuroo was in the shower. Like hell he wasn't getting his goddamn apple pie today.

The fire was blazing hot at his back so Kenma stripped out of his own t-shirt before he pressed the flip cap down and squeezed a generous amount of his favorite flavored lube onto his palm.

Kuroo smelled it immediately.

"Holy _shit_ , where did you even—"

Kenma shut him up quick with a forceful kiss as he warmed the delicious-smelling liquid in his hand. He used the other to hike down the rest of his boyfriend's briefs, which now had a sizable blooming wet spot on them. Kuroo finally got the memo and helped kick down his own pesky undergarments. 

But it wasn't enough. Kenma wanted _all_ of him. 

With a persistent tug on the tank top, the small cat got him to remove his last article of clothing leaving Kuroo buck-naked atop the folds of the massive faux-fur blanket. The firelight casting his toned blocker's body in tints of warm radiance that looked more than good on him. He looked _delicious._

A thoroughly slick hand slid over his boyfriend's erection, gliding up the weighty length with painstakingly slow precision and ease. This got another stunted moan out of him that sent a buzz of pure pleasure through Kenma's own body. He curled his incredibly wet fingers around the pulsing flesh—gripping with just the right amount of pressure before he cocked him up off his stomach and began pumping in steady, rhythmic thrusts.

Kuroo’s breaths became ragged almost immediately and were intermixed with his little uncontrollable grunts and groans that Kenma used as guides for what he liked and what he _really_ liked. But if he wanted him to get louder he had a whole lot more work to do. 

After another lightning quick squirt of lube, he divided his forces sending half his army down to play with the soft folds of his balls. Earning him another sharp exhale and some enhanced force jerking up into his other hand. 

He wanted more. So he took it.

Kenma continued to massage his boyfriend's boys, but paused to angle his cock carefully against his lips. 

Kuroo full-body shuddered with anticipation.

He dragged his bottom lip along the ridge of his head, teasing, torturing him with the slick friction. Kuroo bucked without meaning to, sending his tip into Kenma's mouth before he was actually ready. Thankfully he wasn't really in-in yet so the small cat used it as an opportunity to gently lick and suck his way around his boyfriend's head like the hot apple-flavored lollipop that he was. His hands continued to pump and play with the rest of him.

This particular combo attack garnered even more verbal affirmation from Kuroo who moaned loud enough to be heard from the other rooms now. Kenma knew there was more in him though, which is why he began to swallow the rest of him bit by bit, centimeter by fleshy centimeter until he couldn't fit any more of him. 

The blocker whimpered and panted out heavy, labored breaths that weren't enough. 

Kenma sucked hard. 

Kuroo's big mouth let out a long suffering groan probably because A) it felt incredible and B) he couldn't fuck into him like this without choking him. 

The gamer felt his own rock hard erection leaking desperately in his shorts, but he was thoroughly enjoying the flavors and the heat and the weight of the cock currently in his mouth. His tongue slid over, under, and around him searching for every bit of his favorite tastes on one of his favorite parts of his boyfriend's body. This dick had given him so much pleasure over the years he rarely ever hesitated to go down on it if all safety conditions were met. Private? Check. Sound proof? Check. Willing? Check times a million because Kuroo was a horny bastard even in situations where it was highly inappropriate for him to be.

"Kenma, Kenma y-you—"

Kuroo couldn't even get the words out he was so wrecked. 

The semi blonde released him with loud wet pop, still holding him up in one hand as the other stilled below. His partially dyed hair hung down over his lover's body, brushing the intimate, non-tanned areas of skin.

"Do you want more?" Kenma asked as his southern troops marched even farther south.

Kuroo grunted in frustration, his face in shades of scarlet from the heat of their activities combined with the burn of the fireplace.

Kenma's slick fingers grazed over the puckered skin between his toned cheeks.

"Is this what you want?"

 _"Fuck,_ Kenma," his boyfriend gasped as he pressed up against him.

"It's been a while," Kenma continued in a lowered tone, tracing the outer edges of his hole.

"Y-yes," Kuroo breathed, eyes pinched shut, dick pulsing impatiently above the firm grip.

"Yes what?"

Kuroo full out groaned, pressing down against the torturous fingers that taunted him.

"Yes what, Kuro?"

That was it. The last straw. He used his old nickname from their youth and that was all kinds of hot for whatever weird, fucked up psychological reason he never tried to understand. Kuroo bucked hard into his hand feeling what little sense of control he had go to shit.

Kenma must have anticipated this because he was ready with another generous amount of that sweet-smelling dick honey except this time he spread Kuroo's long legs apart and grazed the sensitive area below again with more intent. He leaned up to deliver a few reassuring kisses to Kuroo's flushed cheeks, his forehead, his chin, his nose, and finally his mouth where he soothed him below the silky curtain of black and blonde. 

"Okay."

That was all the former setter said and all he needed to say before he removed his own shorts revealing his perfectly flushed pink cock that wanted Kuroo as much as he wanted him.

But he knew he couldn't rush this even if his boyfriend was practically bursting at the seams already. So he gently massaged him until Kuroo began pressing against him again and even then he only ventured one knuckle in as slowly as his desperate companion would let him. Eventually he found a rhythm that the tall cat seemed to like as he insistently edged against him for more. But Kenma didn't like to proceed without—

Kuroo cried out deep and blissful when he found his spot. 

Kenma's heart leapt at the verbal confirmation and snuck in another slick finger, followed by another soon after that as his boyfriend began fucking down hard against him.

"Babe, please… Just…"

Kenma was on top of the tall, muscled body of his lover before he could finish speaking because he was pretty sure Kuroo was about to bust a nut waiting for him. He slicked up his own dripping, aching cock and finally lowered himself between Kuroo's thick captain's legs. His own slender hips thrust forward eagerly, head entering inside him and feeling the even greater heat hidden there. The gamer shuddered himself this time, his scrawny naked body pausing before he worked himself deeper and deeper into the person he loved more than anyone in the world.

Then he fucked him. 

Slow and steady at first until it built in intensity and had Kuroo's ass rocking hard underneath him. The wet, obscene sounds of their friction mixing with the crackle of the flames that now felt far too fucking hot against their skin. The loud-mouthed blocker was moaning in a gorgeous chorus of pleasure that only served to feed Kenma's ego. It made him suck and bite down into the flesh at Kuroo's neck, his hair fluttering all over the wet red-marked skin as he pounded into him with every bit of subpar core strength he had. 

Beads of sweat were rolling down their tightly knit bodies as Kenma felt Kuroo tense up underneath him and finally release his sticky seed all over their flexing stomachs. The roosterhead rode the crazy endorphin high through an epicly massive moan that could without a doubt be heard from outside the cabin should there be any unfortunate souls out there to witness it. 

Kenma kept going at full force, feeling like he was seconds away from coming himself because of Kuroo's goddamn insanely shameless vocal cords that had gotten them into trouble on more than one highly embarrassing occasion. The heat and pressure and tightness surrounding his cock felt both incredible and unbearable as he continued to fuck hard into him, bite into him, and claim what was his and his alone.

Ecstasy flooded his every cell as he jerked inside his boyfriend one final time, filling him with cum and sending tremors through his lover's body. Kenma was more than spent as he stilled above the impressive ripples of muscle below him. His own soft belly rose and fell above the thoroughly wet, satisfied dick sandwiched between them. He sighed contented and exhausted before he fully collapsed on top of him.

The fire popped beside them and the rain had started up again against the cloudy window panes. After a few breathless moments, Kenma spoke.

"This is why I never top," he panted heavily, closing his golden eyes as his long bangs clung sweaty to his face.

"What?" Kuroo asked groggily. "Did you not—"

"Oh, I did," Kenma admitted a bit more smugly than usual, shifting on his chest so he could talk to him properly. It would have helped if he removed his dick from his companion's ass, but he wasn't ready for that.

Kuroo furrowed his brow, but a second later his face split into a shit-eating grin.

"Oho, you don't want the whole neighborhood to know when we're going at it!"

Kenma tipped his head enough to facepalm and brush the wet hair up out of his vision. 

"You've got one of the biggest mouths I know," the small cat put it more diplomatically.

"But you love me for it," Kuroo's deep smarmy, sing-song voice teased.

The gamer pulled his hand out of his hair and gazed down at his hopelessly gleeful boyfriend.

"I do," Kenma whispered fondly, kissing him again and wondering how he was so lucky to have this beautiful idiot in his life. How much he completely, hopelessly loved this person and all his quirky habits, stupid jokes, sincere kindness and affections that made him feel more wanted and treasured than he could possibly deserve.

Things were perfect just like this, and he never wanted that to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord, congratulations for making it through all of that! There was so much to fit in before the end that the boys and I said to hell with it just do it haha...
> 
> Anyway, hope you're enjoying the ups and downs of Kuroken adventure life and as always, let me know if so! 
> 
> Also... Kuroo, didn't you... didn't you have something you wanted to DO? Please pray for this poor sweet fool.


	12. The Stars

Secrets were bullshit. 

Kuroo knew this. In a general, high-level, intellectual sort of way he knew they could lead to more trouble than they were sometimes worth. He also knew that goody-two-shoes morality police would take any opportunity to shove it in his face and say _“I told you so”_ if they could look inside to see the torment that his half-truths and sneaking, although well-intended, had caused. 

Kenma could see right through him. He should have known that. He should have known that the brilliant genius startup gamer hottie wouldn't miss a beat with his ankle injury, and he felt like a big dummy for having intentionally hid it for so long when Kenma was clearly just waiting him out.

...So, was he waiting him out for this too?

Did Kenma _know_ already? Was he simply waiting for Kuroo to grow enough balls to pop the question? 

Or was he drawing all this out because in truth he never actually wanted to have this conversation? Was he delaying the inevitable train wreck?

Kenma had always killed pretty much any conversations that got even remotely near the topics of engagements or weddings. Let alone kids. Let alone what he wanted beyond his immediate desires to grow his businesses and simply enjoy what they had together right now. 

But Kuroo felt "right now" slipping away. He wanted to know what "forever" looked like for them. 

This was doubly painful due to the comparison trap hell that was social media. 

It seemed like many of their friends had already figured out what they were doing with their lives when you scrolled through either of their feeds and saw photos of training regimens, athletic action shots, romantic trips, festivals, anniversaries, babies, and all the barf-worthy, sugar sweet family holiday get togethers they had. Hell, even sunshine shortie and his brooding prince had eventually found their rhythm together after all that weird drama they'd gone through a few years back (which he always heard secondhand through Kenma as he narrated snippets of Hinata's texts and conversations). Now the lovebirds seemed to have their shit together because there was always, _always_ at least one or five selfies of them doing everything from sweaty post-game kisses to eating at trendy hotspots in the city to popsicles on the beach.

Kuroo wanted goddamn beach popsicles and sweaty, worn-out kisses with a side of _actually_ eating out for once.

Or at least in theory he did. He wanted to spend more time with Kenma period, hence the trip. He wanted their own sweet and special memories which he had tried to capture with his camera while they were here. They just might never see a social media feed because Kenma wouldn't let him post things publicly showing their relationship. They had private accounts for everything separate from all his Kodzuken stuff and only mutual friends could view photos of them together. Even still, his boyfriend wasn't keen on _that_ sort of sharing. He enjoyed their privacy.

...But sometimes Kuroo wanted social proof that they were happy too. That they were experiencing life and love and silly wonderful moments even if no one else was around to see them. It was hard not to compare. He knew he shouldn't, but it was hard. 

Beyond this basic superficial desire, it also seemed laughably unfair that although Kenma and him had been together for an eternity and a half (in addition to being BFFs for even _longer_ than that) it still felt like they had no map for where they were going, what they wanted out of life together, and if in fact there was a "together" in the future.

And that was just it. The part that bothered him more than Kenma's repeated shutdowns on marriage and any PDA physical or digital (although those hurt like a bitch each time they happened too). 

The crux of all this heartache, all this obsession and the source of so many convoluted feelings, lies, and pressure was that Kuroo really, honestly didn't know if he was part of Kenma's grand scheme of things. Kenma never _talked_ about it. He didn't know what his boyfriend saw for his life going forward other than growing his stupid fanbase, getting more views, subscribers, and likes, and hitting his absurdly high revenue goals each quarter as if that defined his inherent worth more than their relationship ever could. Business success was just another game Kenma could win at, but maybe this whole idea of getting or being married wasn't like that? How could you "win" at a game with no scores or measurements of success? 

Kuroo didn't _want_ to feel bitter or jealous over a _business_ , but that was hard sometimes because it was _all Kenma ever did._ Every day. His focus was so sharp and intentional with BBCorp, his streaming persona, his investments, and the rest of it that Kuroo couldn't help feeling like if Kenma truly wanted him too then he would be applying some of that rigor and focus to their relationship...

Man, he hated feeling like this. Like he was on the bench of Kenma's life and never actually called to play or shine on court. Kuroo the _benchwarmer_. That felt accurate. It felt shitty, but accurate.

So when he put himself up to all of this—this idea, this trip, this super-secret amazing plan that was going to spotlight him as a key player in Kenma's eyes and as someone worthy of not only keeping in his life but _celebrating_ in his life too—Kuroo had been missing one very important detail.

Was he even worthy enough to want this?

It was such a simple question. Yes or no. Yet so much of _literally everything_ hung in the balance of it. As confident as he seemed to be most of the time (and he largely was) there were pockets of self-doubt in this category that told him otherwise.

_You don't deserve that kind of happiness. It's for other people, not you._

_Maybe Kenma loves you, but not like that. If he_ _did, you would already know._

_If he was interested in going further, he would have been blunt with you. He's always blunt with you._

_Kenma gets what he wants. Always. If he wanted you forever, you would know that by now._

_He's just comfortable. You're just a security blanket for him. Nothing more._

_Why do you think he never wants to talk about it? There isn't enough room for you in his life moving forward. That's why._

_You're a really good fuck. You're around for stress relief, not much else._

_Well, food too. You're around for making food._

_He would have already made you his if that's what he really wanted._

_You're a benchwarmer. Not a star player. Get over it._

But he couldn't let it go. 

Kuroo had a very hard time letting anything go. His stubborn, motivated nature made him a man of _action,_ a man of _theory,_ a man of _questions._ And he was going to find a way to ask the one question that truly frightened him beyond possibly anything he'd ever gone up against because he would literally _die_ for Kenma, and that's what this would do to him if he ultimately said no. He would die. From all the unrequited love and hurt and absolute rejection. He wouldn't know where to go from there.

This was a yes or no question that had an entire beautiful future ahead of him versus nothing at all. A blank place. A place he couldn't see because he never wanted to go there. He didn't _want_ to imagine his life without the sweet, snarky soul who made him feel whole and complete and wanted. He did feel wanted. He just wasn't clear how far ahead Kenma wanted or needed him too. Kenma never said, so he just didn't know...

...Damn.

Maybe… maybe he was crazy for thinking all this. 

Kenma loved him. He did. He knew that much. Just a few hours ago Kenma had fucked him into oblivion and back and it was wonderful. They had fallen asleep here together, so warm and filled with contentment. Why did his brain have to try to go and ruin all of that? Couldn't he just appreciate the fact that Kenma was here right now for _him?_ Shouldn't that have been evidence enough that he was all in?

Yes was the answer to that mind-fuck pop quiz, but he still felt anxious. Still felt the flutters of excitement and mortification mixing unpleasantly in his gut. How was he going to do it now? He had pulled an infamous Kuroo Procrastination Stunt at the mountain ruins because they were having so much fun and every time he almost brought it up something would interrupt the moment and throw off the vibe. So he'd tried to just play it cool, just have a good time, just be _himself_ and not worry so much so that he could focus on the _present_. Trusting that when the moment was right, he'd know. That's the advice his dad had given him before they left (even though he _hadn't_ explicitly told him he wanted to pop the question on this trip). 

He could hear the smile on his dad's face when he said, _"You'll know when. Try not to overthink it."_

Whelp. He was a big failure in that department. 

It's like as they got older Kenma stopped being the anxious over-analyzer and this shitty trait was transferred to him. Kenma had learned to make quick, sound decisions for business and otherwise because his time had become more of a precious resource and he simply _couldn't_ dwell on things as much anymore. In contrast, Kuroo's time had slowed down. He worked, trained, jogged, and cooked—all of which had copious amounts of free-thought time to get lost in his feelings and insecurities unlike anything he'd experienced before. 

He'd never cared so much about one thing as he did about Kenma. Even volleyball came second to him (a close second, but still second). In fact, he didn't try to go pro after university like so many of their friends had not because he didn't have the _potential_ to get there, but because he honestly didn't like the thought of having to spend so much time away from Kenma for games and training. So while Oikawa and Bokuto were kissing mad ass with talent scouts and press after games, Kuroo would bat them off and go find Kenma in the crowd waiting for him. His boyfriend hated crowds, _still_ hated crowds, but for local games he was normally there to watch and critique the match during dinner afterwards. It was a ritual Kuroo missed sometimes, those post-game dates with Kenma when he could load up on meat, carbs, sarcasm, jokes, helpful insights, and soul-filling laughter. 

Part of him wanted to go back to that bliss and another part just wanted to move onto bigger and better things together. Because there had to be more. He wished he could stop worrying about everything and simply trust that his life was going somewhere. To see glimpses of the trails ahead. To see Kenma there in them, his face at every age flashing through memories that weren't memories yet. Their wedding, their home, their cats, their kids, friends, birthdays, holidays, trips and adventures, ups and downs—he wanted to know that they were _real_ and waiting for them on the path they chose together. 

All he had to do was reach out and take it. 

All Kenma had to do was say yes. That one word would solve everything, _mean_ everything to him.

Luckily, Tetsurou Kuroo had never been a very good benchwarmer.

—

Stirring from his slumber and half dazed musings of existential crisis, Kuroo issued a deep groggy groan and hazily opened one smoky gray eye.

Kenma was snoozing peacefully beside him as the dark evening firelight glowed radiantly on his pale cheeks, bony folded in shoulders, and along the smooth naked curves of his back down to his legs.

Still partially sleep drunk, the blocker very slowly sorted a strand of multi-color hair off his boyfriend's face as he dozed curled up next to him in the love nest of blankets and pillows and warmth. His breaths were deep and even. The heady scent of sweat and sex still lilted in the air, but he didn't mind it like Kenma did. If his boyfriend were awake he'd probably end up getting another shower because he didn't like to "be gross" afterwards. Which Kuroo could certainly understand, but it still didn't bother him. The dried sweat and kisses and cum were real physical evidence that he was loved. Proof that in that moment Kuroo was his focus, his passion. It felt incredible to witness Kenma falling apart for him, desiring him as much as Kuroo desired him back. Unraveling him like no one else could.

The tall cat shifted his large tan fingers down his companion's neck and along his arm to hold Kenma's smaller limp hand in his own. Dark eyes flickering between his face and the blank space on his finger. His thumb brushed over it reverently.

Kenma had very nearly found the ring earlier when they'd come back to the cabin all wet and muddy from the mountain ruins adventure. It hung on the chain beneath his tee because he was so afraid of somehow losing it otherwise. And Kenma'd very nearly caught him red-handed all because he didn't take that stupid shirt off like he was known to do if he came home feeling disgusting with sweat or dirt or rain. 

God, the _rain_. 

The rain had mucked up so much of this. Well… maybe his weather app did. Or the crappy signal. Or his poor planning... Regardless, the rain had ruined his "foolproof" backup-backup plan too because they couldn't even go outside for the last surprise he had up his—

Oh.

_Oh._

The rain had stopped.

Out the lakeview cabin window and down the mountain forest was a perfectly dark cloudless sky. The storms from before appeared to have rolled out just as quickly as they'd come in that afternoon. As scheduled, that last sliver of moon was gone too which meant…

There was still time. 

_Holy ever-loving mother of dragons,_ there was still _time!_

“Oh my god. W-we gotta get dressed. We gotta get dressed,” a disbelieving naked Kuroo frantically realized as he scrambled to get up from the cozy fireside pleasure pit they'd created.

The small cat stirred from the commotion. Then he whined a low, irritated, throaty sort of whine.

“Mmm… what’re you doing..?” Kenma grumbled into his oversized pillow as a chill set to his bare skin—the big warm panther body having just left the side of him that was not facing the continuous pleasant flames. He sleepily snatched the edge of the gigantic fluffy blanket they'd been laying on in order to cover up the cold annoying vacancy.

“We uh… There’s something outside I wanna do real quick. Can you get up?” Kuroo asked hurriedly as he hiked back on the gym shorts and underwear that were fresh until Kenma got his naughty paws in them.

“Outside?” Kenma asked softly through a huge kitten yawn. His golden eyes were blinking heavy with exhaustion and winced when Kuroo turned on the couch side lamp.

“Yea. Come on, get dressed babe," Kuroo encouraged with haste as he threw a v-neck tee on and then grabbed his old college hoodie from the back of a chair at the kitchen table.

“Mmmm, no,” the former setter mumbled just as groggily miffed as before. He burrowed his nose back into the soft folds of ethically sourced goose feather plush that he now needed to get for home because it was _damn_ comfortable.

“It’ll be fun! Just a quick thing outside. Five-minute adventure. In and out," the bed-headed fool tried again hopefully. He hopped into fresh ankle socks even though he could have just as easily sat down to get them on.

“Pass,” the semi blonde replied in monotone. He rolled deeper into the blanket for warmth.

 _“Kenma,”_ he heard his boyfriend's serious-pants voice chastise him.

Kenma half opened his eyes into a deadpanned squint feeling quite annoyed. Since _when_ was Kuroo so insistent on him putting his clothes back _on_ anyway?

 _“Kuroo,"_ he stated just as forcefully from the fireside lump of blankets. He had officially woken him up. "I don’t want to. So no.”

If Kenma had been looking, he would have seen the panic-stricken gape that froze beneath the swipe of wild mussed rooster hair on his boyfriend's face.

“But-but we _need_ to go outside babe! It's our last night here, we won't get another chance. It’ll be mega fast, I _promise._ Can you please put something on so you won't freeze?”

This was... weird. 

Kuroo had never been so… so desperate sounding and so oddly persistent about something so incredibly vague before. Unless you counted this trip...

“I’m not going outside Kuroo. It’s cold and I'm tired. Plus, it's so warm here,” Kenma explained, snuggling his face and still naked body against the impossibly soft fluffy faux fur. It was a good score this blanket. Perfect for lounging in front of the blazing fire. Maybe he would need to get one of these for home too.

He heard his boyfriend clear his throat.

“Kenma Kozume. Please put on your clothes and join me for just a _few minutes_ out on the deck,” Kuroo persistently requested in a near formal way. 

Now however Kenma was getting legitimately pissed. He had been very cozy and sleepy and wonderfully full of relaxing cuddle hormones and warmth before Kuroo started acting like a pushy jerk.

“ _No,"_ the gamer reiterated.

“Alright, please join me for a few minutes outside _without_ your clothes then,” Kuroo amended sarcastically as he shrugged on his bomber jacket too because the now accurately updated weather app had the temperature a bit lower than it had predicted for tonight before.

“I said, _NO_ Kuroo. Geez, can you just—”

Kuroo flicked off the fireplace, instantly killing the flame.

Kenma shot up straight on the blanket, glaring full blown daggers now.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kenma asked incredulously.

“Nothing! I just—I want to go outside for a little bit! It’ll be super quick I promise. _Please?"_

“Can you tell me _why?_ ” The small cat asked through strained waning patience.

To his surprise Kuroo said nothing. He just stared dumbfounded and open-mouthed like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Then _no,_ ” the miffed semi blonde repeated simply, turning around to lay back down. 

Kenma had fully expected his boyfriend to either A) keep pestering him until he caved, B) make a snarky, suggestive joke about how _he_ could keep him warm out there instead, or C) let out an over dramatic sigh of defeat and just drop it.

But there was only silence. 

Eerie silence. 

Nothing save for the low rhythmic hum of crickets in the forest just outside the cabin. The absence of Kuroo's mouthy retort in any form was mildly alarming. 

The slightly confused and curious small cat slowly lifted his head back up off the floor pillow to stare at his boyfriend from the foot of the couch but caught the tail end of Kuroo throwing off his jacket and walking into the bedroom. A hand blinding himself like he was… crying?

Now Kenma was _very_ alarmed. 

What the hell just happened here? 

One minute they were having mind-blowing, amazing fireplace sex and a glorious post-session cuddlefest, and the next minute Kuroo was attempting to force his clothes back _ON_ while also trying to convince him to go outside for whatever stupid reason he couldn’t just flat out tell him. 

Now he was what—opting out? He had very rarely ever seen Kuroo just walk away from a conversation unless he was about to get sick (oddly enough he was actually a pretty polite drunk) or he was extremely upset. Like, to the point that he knew he'd say something horrible if he didn't remove himself from a situation. Kuroo would sometimes just recklessly drive a conflict right off a cliff with stubborn abandon, but other times he was smart enough to stop himself from making bad situations worse if he could tell he was about to lose his shit and cared not to.

Annnd he didn't choose the bathroom route like he was sick, so that left only one likely probability...

Kenma sighed low with weighted weariness and slipped on his own regrettably filthy briefs before padding into the cabin bedroom.

Kuroo was laying down with his entire head sandwiched between two pillows, curled into a tight panther-sized ball atop the sheets in the darkness. Kenma heard a rattling shudder for air.

“Hey…” The former setter murmured, cautiously approaching the bed. “Kuroo what's… what's wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing fucking wrong with me,” Kuroo sniffed miserably, a hoodied sleeve stretching up to wipe his pillow-hidden face and the few silent tears of frustration forming there.

“I meant what’s the matter,” Kenma clarified in an even softer tone as he took a seat beside him on the bed. Kuroo had been so incredibly emotional lately… He knew there had to be more to this bizarre outburst than he could currently comprehend.

“Something _is_ wrong and you’re not telling me…" The gamer continued with distinctly more patience than he had a minute before in the living room. "You're scaring me...”

Kuroo sniffed again, bending his head slightly out of the pillow sandwich to look down the bed at him. His face seemed conflicted like he was trying to decide something inside. 

“I am?”

Kenma nodded, tucking a multi-colored bang behind his ear.

 _“I’m sorrrry,”_ Kuroo groaned deeply with the familiar empathy Kenma was accustomed to.

“Can’t you just be honest with me?” Kenma asked softly, reaching a hand out to touch his curled up long-cat blocker's legs. He carefully rested his fingers on the downy soft hair of his calf muscles and lightly traced his thumb along them.

He was really worried there was something big Kuroo wasn’t telling him now. Something beyond the ankle thing which is what he originally thought was the source of all this poorly disguised stress during their getaway. Perhaps there was something else though, something hard and difficult that maybe he’d been carrying alone for a while. It hurt to think that there was anything Kuroo felt he couldn’t tell him...

“I just wanted to surprise you,” Kuroo swallowed hard and breathed out slowly to calm himself. He dug the heel of his palm into his eye like he had a headache or was cursing himself for being stupid or both.

Kenma blinked.

“Surprise me?” The small cat asked with a bit of confusion tinting his usually neutral voice.

“Yea,” Kuroo muttered huskily through another slightly wet sniff. “But I can’t even do that anymore...”

“You’ve surprised me plenty on this trip… No one is expecting more from you, especially not me,” Kenma stated quietly as he continued to touch his companion's leg in reassuring strokes.

Kenma was really confused. Normally he could assess situations pretty accurately, but this was just bizarre. Uncategorizable. Uncharted territory that he was afraid to step into based on the extremely odd actions of the man he was so sure he knew everything about. 

Guilt did seep into his mind though. Kuroo had done so much already for them, but he thought they were done with surprises… And also, why didn't he just flat out say _"I have a surprise for you?"_ Why was he panicking like the cabin was on fire and Kenma just couldn't see it burning?

“Kuro, I don’t understand what’s… what’s happening right now. But I’ll go outside if it means that much to you...”

“Really?” The now _royally_ bed-headed blocker sniffed hopefully as he retreated halfway out of the pillow tower.

“Yea… Just… I dunno. Please calm down. I don’t like seeing you upset,” Kenma said truthfully, still holding onto his boyfriend's leg as if that connection could automatically transfer his thoughts and feelings to him. He wasn't good at verbalizing this sort of stuff. It's partially why people always called him savagely blunt, but he wasn't trying to be—it just came out that way.

At this, Kuroo abandoned the pillow fort, sat up, and very gingerly drew Kenma by the shoulders into a massive, sincere hug. 

“I’m sorry for being such a jackass,” he whispered earnestly into Kenma’s curtain of black and blonde.

Kenma closed his eyes to fully appreciate the gentle way Kuroo always held him. Like he was something precious. Something treasured.

“Will you at least be a happier jackass for me?” The gamer replied, wrapping his skinny arms underneath his boyfriend's to return the hug. He squeezed him just as tight back because he wanted him to feel every bit of the concern and sincerity he meant in that question. 

“I’ll do one better and just be happy that you’re here with me and not be a jackass at all,” Kuroo promised, hastily wiping his slightly red face one more time before he kissed Kenma on the forehead and then softly on the lips. He let it linger and roll into a few more soft apologetic waves.

There was melancholy in those kisses. Kenma could taste it. 

“Works for me,” Kenma agreed in a whisper against his face as they just barely drifted apart. 

"But…" The gamer glanced down. "Maybe we ought to put some pants on first…"

Kuroo cracked that wide, ornery grin of his. 

Upon one second reflection, he supposed just a few moments before he _had_ put his jacket on with _gym shorts_ of all things. He needed to get his head in the game.

"How many times do yah think I'da left the house over the years without pants if it weren't for you?" The blocker chuckled nuzzling his companion's cheek with his long nose then kissing it fervently.

"How many moons does Jupiter have?" Kenma asked with dry sarcasm.

"Seventy-nine known," the big nerd answered brightly without missing a beat as he shifted off the bed and then held out a broad tan hand for his boyfriend.

The former setter took it.

"Times that by all the other moons in our solar system."

Kuroo laughed that deep hyena belly laugh of his and then the dork started to _actually_ math out how many other moons there were as he shuffled through their suitcase looking for the pants in question.

Kenma was still largely confused about all of this. However, he was marginally relieved that Kuroo was acting more like himself. He felt bad for getting him so worked up over something that seemed so small initially, but he honestly couldn't have predicted him getting this upset over it. As much as Kuroo joked about him being a mind reader over the years, he wasn't one. He could fairly accurately read body language and facial expressions if he was bothering to look, but that was it. That laser-focused, intuitive attention to detail was part of what made setting for the team so long ago easier than the other positions for him. He rarely used it anymore to be honest, but now he had a good reason to.

Curiously, what bothered Kenma aside from all of the strange behavior was that he had read the traces of _fear_ on Kuroo's face and in his voice.

...Why was he scared? 

Kenma didn't know, though he'd be lying if he said it didn't frighten a small part of him too.

—

The two cats did manage to find some comfy pants and clothes along with a few added layers of hoodies and jackets before walking out into the brisk autumn evening.

The very last tiny traces of blue nightfall peaked out from over the dips in the mountains contrasted by the deep obsidian of a moonless sky. Stars were sprinkled endlessly out over the valley, mirrored in perfect synchrony atop the sweeping still body of water. The evening birds were gone, but the same hushed, rhythmic chorus of crickets and frogs that were out every night took their place.

Kuroo leaned one palm on the under-lit railing of the cabin deck and Kenma wordlessly took his place beside him. They stared at the vast landscape, absorbing the grand painted swaths of nighttime wilderness that smelled like pine and campfire smoke. The trees acted as a mass of darkness against the shaded lake that sparkled with the intense reflection of all those tiny lights. Above that the whole sky felt so incredibly gargantuan that it was doubtful either of them had ever quite taken it in at such a scale. City-dwellers and homebodies just rarely had opportunities like this to view it in all its saccharine glory. All those thousands of burning stars were unfathomable at home. Indescribable. 

Kenma had never seen so many in his life. Not even pixelated ones in games. It was cool out, but that's not why he had goosebumps.

"This is really something..." He murmured, his low-lit golden eyes tracing the shapes of darkness and light.

"Mm hmm," Kuroo hummed as he tapped into Kenma's side searching for him without looking away from the impressive night show. The small cat withdrew from his hand from his jacket pocket and they bumped a bit finding each other's fingers. 

The warmth from the big volley-worn palm enveloped the much colder, much softer gamer's fingers. 

"Your dad… he didn't plan this. Did he?" Kenma asked intuitively as they continued to gaze out into the vast naturescape that was theirs for only a short while longer.

A light breeze tousled Kuroo's wild black tresses up off his neutrally stoic expression.

"Nah."

Silence hung between them for a moment.

"Why are we really here Kuroo?" 

The former setter glanced over to catch his boyfriend's dark framed eyes squint slightly. He squeezed his companion's hand encouragingly, fingers threaded, one brushing over his skin ever so slightly in need of movement in all this stillness.

"Cause I wanted to do something special together," the bed-headed blocker shrugged, squeezing him back a bit and then aligning their fingertips in absentminded play. 

"I wanted to see your face," he continued with a deep, unusual gravity coloring his voice. "I know you love work, but I miss your face. And I miss doing stuff with you."

Kenma's heart hurt hearing that. 

He had never been trying to _neglect_ his boyfriend, but they were very comfortable. Very wrapped up in their daily routines which made it easy to overlook the fact that they actually didn't _do_ a lot together anymore save for dinner each night, homemade brunch on the weekends, and the occasional movie or video game night. How long had Kuroo felt this way? Had he been lonely and Kenma just never noticed it because he was always smiling when they were together?

"I just figured," Kuroo mumbled, now looking down at their cabin property instead of the endless sky. "Well, since we don't have, like, a _definitive_ anniversary day I wanted to celebrate us somehow. It's been ten years, you know that? Since we started dating at least."

"Oh…" 

Kenma hadn't really thought about it. When they'd gotten together it was more of a slow reveal and a jumbled fucking mess of misunderstandings and heart-fluttering leaps and baby steps into new relationship territory. He was obviously happy with the result of all that chaos, but honestly he didn't think much about when they were teenagers anymore. Unless volleyball came up in conversation. People were regularly confused as to why a mega streaming YouTuber gamer nerd like him knew so much about a _sport._

"I got you something," Kuroo said, slyly grinning as he reached his free hand into his pocket. His grin, though shit-eating and exhausting sometimes, made Kenma feel better. A Kuroo with a grin was a Kuroo who was more or less mentally stable. At least he was feeling more like himself now.

Kenma raised his eyebrows as the tall cat pulled out his low-lit phone and tapped open an app one-handed. His other hand was still dutifully warming his boyfriend's.

A moment later a loading screen with cute, happily illustrated constellations appeared. 

Kuroo aimed his phone up towards the dark sky, frowning. He let go of his companion's hand to grasp his device with two then spun around, shuffled to the side, bumped into Kenma backing up, and then bent his entire body in half to lean heavily on the deck railing in front of them in his classic _"I want old man back problems early please"_ position.

"There. Right there, babe. Just above the mountains. Do you see it?"

"What am I looking at?" Kenma frowned trying to focus on the tiny dots, but the dummy kept moving his screen.

"Right there! Look at my phone. This one. Can you see what it says?"

"It…"

Kenma blinked.

"It says my name."

Kuroo was biting his smile hard.

"It's _your_ star."

"You bought me a distant burning mass of flaming gas?" Kenma raised his eyebrows more in amusement than anything else.

"I bought you the _name_ of a distant burning mass of flaming gas," Kuroo corrected him smugly.

"Isn't that just a bunch of shit though? You can't really buy a name and have it recognized by the world's scientific community," Kenma countered skeptically. Kuroo would absolutely know this already. What was he doing?

"Kenma," Kuroo breathed deeply. "If you hate the star, I cannot _return_ the star so maybe just, I dunno, enjoy it or something?" 

Kenma gently bumped his shoulder into Kuroo's side causing the blocker to automatically wrap an arm around him. Immediately Kuroo thought better of this though and unzipped his jacket in order to fold the chilled little kitty inside his oversized thermal layers from behind. The tall cat's long arms latched crisscrossed protectively over his smaller chest. An angular chin rested atop his shoulder, warming the skin along his exposed neck since he'd bunned his hair back again.

His body was _so warm_ against Kuroo's chest, even through his own layers of autumn protection.

"I don't hate the star." 

Golden eyes peered up into the sky as he stared intently at the tiny pinprick that beared his name on some stupid registry that wasn't legally-binding or scientifically-recognized.

"Thank you," Kenma continued softly.

"Yes, _that_ is the appropriate response when someone gives you a piece of the celestial heavens," Kuroo chuckled nuzzling his fluffy black head into Kenma's loose multi-colored strands as he gazed up fondly at it too.

"A metaphorical piece."

"God, you are so ungrateful."

"I love my metaphorical piece Kuroo."

"You do?" He asked, slinging the skepticism back at him but also not hiding the hopefulness in his voice.

"I do," Kenma assured him with a light, contented sigh. He moved his hand up over his boyfriend's jacketed forearms, which were still clasped tightly over his hoodied chest.

The silence was so comfortable now. Cozy even though the world by night was crisp and cool. Everything felt right. He was safe here in Kuroo's arms as they soaked in the last precious gift of nature's glory together. His heart was full. He couldn't ask for anything more.

"For a second there I thought you might propose or something," Kenma smiled at the ridiculous humor of it, shaking his head slightly and leaning back against Kuroo who was… stiff as a board.

"...Kuroo?" 

The chorus of night bugs seemed to intensify. 

He didn't respond.

An owl cooed softly in the distance.

"Kuroo, you _weren't_ planning on proposing to me... right?" Kenma reiterated as the pieces started to rapidly click together like gears in his mind.

Kuroo had initially been offended when Kenma suggested that _he_ was the third wheel on this father/son getaway.

Kuroo had basically just admitted he made up some dumb story about his dad in addition to _lying_ about an injury for over _a month_ in order to get him here.

Kuroo knew a ridiculous amount about this place and their excursions, which must have taken meticulous planning on _someone's_ part given how elaborate it all was.

Kuroo had surprised him with multiple small, brand new, well-thought out, hiking-related gifts for only having "a few days’ notice" beforehand.

Kuroo had been fussing over his hair, their gear, their food, and taking an annoying number of photos and selfies this whole time.

Kuroo had been fucking him every day of this trip like he hadn't gotten any in years (untrue) and couldn't keep his hands off him like he was a lovesick puppy who desperately needed attention one way or another.

Kuroo had been unintentionally picking fights and acting like an anxious emotional hot mess who didn't know how to think straight or chill when he was normally the master at chilling between the two of them.

"Kenma, I…"

_Oh god._

He felt his boyfriend clutch onto him tighter, holding him like he was his lifeline.

"Kenma, you… Well... the past ten years together have been the best years of my life, and that's saying something because all the time we spent before that being friends was fucking amazing too," Kuroo began as he leaned his forehead on the small cat's shoulder.

Kenma's heart began to beat up into his throat.

"You make me laugh so hard sometimes I nearly piss myself, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if that has actually happened after too many drinks and you just never told me about it because you're sweet like that. No one else knows how sweet you really are. Salty too, yes, but I love that about you. I love that you don't sugar coat shit and I love that you tell it like it is no matter who you're talking to. You're genuine. Not some kiss-ass fake like most people are to save face. You're so goddamn smart Kenma, and you've worked your _ass_ off to get where you are today, and I love that about you too. You're lazy when it comes to pretty much everything else, but you have fire for your work and businesses. You're always trying to see how they can be better than they were yesterday—how they can grow."

Kuroo paused for one shaky breath before continuing.

"I-I want the same for _us._ I want the next ten, twenty, thirty years and more to be better than before. I want us to grow into cool, sassy old dudes someday and I want to experience more things like this together. I don't want it to ever end. You mean the universe to me Kenma. Seriously. You're my everything. You’re my best friend. So will you… will you marry me?”

The owl in the distance cooed again. Closer this time.

“I…” Kenma began, but then Kuroo couldn't hear the rest of his mumble.

"What was that?" The bespectacled roosterhead frowned, straining to listen.

“...Can’t,” Kenma half mumbled into Kuroo's arm. 

“You… you what?” 

Everything was falling.

“But we can't get married, Kuroo...”

The world was turning sideways. All the darkness was now disorienting, swallowing his blurred vision and his entire heart which was shattering into a billion fragments of searing raw rejection, shock, mortification, _obliteration,_ and—

“Kuroo don't! I can't—"

It was all a lie. His entire life. Everything. He'd ruined everything.

Kenma buckled to ground unable to hold up his incredibly heavy, much larger boyfriend any longer. They slumped hard onto the wooden deck boards.

"Kuroo! _Kuro!_ I meant _here_. In Japan. We can’t get married in _Japan_. Shit, don’t cry. Please don't cry,” Kenma begged him with actual panic in his voice now as he held both of Kuroo's cheeks between his hands.

Kuroo blinked and a flash tear streaked down his emotionally frozen face and over his boyfriend's thumb. He didn’t even feel it come out. He didn't feel any of the others that had come before it either.

"Take these off, you don't have another spare pair…" Kenma muttered practically as he removed his thick frames and set them aside.

Then Kuroo's brain began to process what he had just said.

"Wait… _Japan?"_ The blocker squinted as Kenma wiped the rogue tears from his face.

"Yes. We can't get married here. At least not yet. Not legally," Kenma explained as he switched hoodie sleeves to absorb the moisture on his other cheek.

"So wait… you're—you're _not_ opposed to getting married then?"

"No…" Kenma said very slowly with a look that made it seem like he was questioning Kuroo's sanity.

“So… So then… So we…"

Kenma raised his eyebrows, frowning in mild confusion.

" _FUCK,_ so can we—can't we fucking just go get married in Taiwan or New Zealand or Hawaii or some shit? I don’t care _where_ it is Kenma, I just want to be with you. Do you still want to be with me?”

“Yes...” Kenma stated as if that should have been super ultra-obvious at this point.

“Do you want to marry me somewhere where it’s legal?” Kuroo continued as his heart did epically relieved and ecstatic backflips inside.

 _“Yes...”_ The semi blonde repeated with slight irritation at the questions he saw as fundamentally basic.

“Then can you fucking just give me a hug and tell me that?” Kuroo's deep voice cracked as the dam finally broke through his traumatized heart and the rest of the tears came because for thirty horrible, _horrible_ seconds of his life he thought Kenma didn’t love him, everything he ever knew was a lie, and his life was now officially over.

Kenma carefully wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, a hand drawn through his fluffy black hair guiding his face into his scrawny fall-layered gamer's chest.

“I love you… I want to marry you... somewhere. It’ll be okay. Stop crying,” the small cat begged him again. 

“I fucking _can’t,_ you broke me,” Kuroo sobbed accusingly into Kenma’s hoodie.

“I’m sorry,” Kenma said softly, lifting up from their embrace just enough to kiss his hair in apology.

"Kuro, I love you. I do. More than anything. It'll be okay..."

And for the first time in forever, Kuroo believed that it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man. Kuroo finally faced his fears and did the thing! Kenma damn near gave him a heart attack with his practicality and poor phrasing, they both learned the other has a vastly differing interpretation of the same set of information, and I learned that these two have a lot to say and can't do it succinctly to save their lives—hence a split bonus chapter! 
> 
> So what did you think? Where do they go from here? Wasn't there something ELSE you had for him Kuroo? Somebody help this hot mess...
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and for all your fabulous comments!


	13. Home

Kenma couldn't stop staring at his ring.

His golden eyes were dilated wide with fascination in the early morning dawn of their cabin bedroom as he held it between his fingers. It was a deep, matte gray, brushed titanium. A simple, but beautiful piece of metal. He'd never worn jewelry before. He wasn't sure about starting now either, but maybe he'd try it just to see. Kuroo had given him the chain too, so that he could wear it closer to his heart if he didn't feel comfortable physically or socially about it. 

_You are my sun and stars._

The gamer read the inner inscription over and over and over again. 

Sun? Maybe only in the fact that Kuroo's life revolved so much around him. Stars he understood. Tiny fragments of light that individually didn't do much, but altogether made something amazing. Affection and love that could only be expressed in private, in darkness. He could take the stars part, but it would be a long time before he ever felt like a radiating sun. He wasn't Shouyou after all. 

"Do you like it?" A deep, sleep-shaded voice asked from over his bare shoulder among the cozy folds of sheets in bed.

Kenma stretched his toes back to thread them between his fiancé's warm thighs. In return, Kuroo kissed his neck wrapping a tan built arm around his thinner waist and up his chest from behind.

"It's a pretty good magic item to go with the level up," Kenma mused, still not taking his eyes off it.

"I can't believe you actually said yes," Kuroo half laughed, grounding his messy, fluffy hair into his lover's shoulder blade—nuzzling him with ticklish vigor.

"Did you really think I would say no?" The former setter vaguely rolled his eyes.

"You _did_ say no, you little shit!" The blocker squeezed him and playfully bit his neck in retaliation.

"No, I didn't. I said we _can't_ ," Kenma squirmed, hunching his shoulders and trying not to smile, which was hard because Kuroo was already giving him goosebumps.

"You said that to the guy who was so nervous about fucking it up he almost pissed his pants!" 

"Did you really?"

"I said _almost_ Kenma."

"Why would I ever say no?" The small cat asked as he rolled onto his back to face him. 

"Because I'm annoying,” Kuroo offered helpfully.

"Only sometimes."

"Because you're too good for me."

_"False."_

"Because you _hate_ weddings."

"I don't hate them… much," Kenma admitted with a shrug. He slipped his hands up over the broad chest that laid beside him. "Also, just because I agreed to marry you doesn't mean we're having a wedding."

"Uh, yea, it does," Kuroo scoffed with a half laugh, half frown as Kenma touched his face and ran his fingers up through his hair.

"No, it doesn't," Kenma repeated simply, watching Kuroo's long fringe flop back down over his eyes as his fingers ran out of hair.

"Yea huuuuuh," the tall cat argued, leaning down closer to his face.

" _Nuh uuuh,"_ the small cat deepened his voice in mocking sarcasm. Kuroo's lips met his own with a quick, playful kiss.

"Yea, it does Kenma," he said with happy finality. "It's in the fine print of the official proposal's verbal contract."

“That doesn’t even make sense," the semi blonde couldn't help his second eye roll.

“Doesn’t matter, you signed it!”

"Oh my god, can you just shut up so we can enjoy what little time we have left?"

"Ohoho, so you've been enjoying yourself?" There was Tetsurou Kuroo’s classic shit-eating grin.

"Marginally," Kenma deadpanned for effect.

Kuroo snatched his salty lover's face and pressed a series of forceful kisses into his forehead, cheeks, and nose.

"You are FAR too cute and sassy this morning! You finally turning into an early bird babe?" The tall cat laughed at his own joke.

"Bite me," the small cat muttered vaguely.

 _"Oooo,_ with _pleasure!"_

Kenma immediately regretted his choice of words because his fiancé did in fact take it upon himself to bite and kiss and cover him with love marks until he was panting breathless and exhausted by the struggle to stop him. Kuroo backed off after a minute or so of Kenma’s insincere protests. He seemed smugly satisfied with himself, but then turned serious after a moment.

"Why did you never say yes then?" The gravity was clear and honest in Kuroo’s voice.

"Yes to what?" The gamer breathed out, swiping his multi-colored strands up out of his face. 

_"Kenma."_

"I'm serious. Yes to…?”

“Yes to any of the times I asked you if you wanted to get married before,” the blocker clarified, his dark gray eyes furrowed into a pout.

"Kuroo. You were drunk more than a few of those times."

That... wasn't _untrue_...

"Okay, fair enough—but the _other_ times? I asked you plenty when we were perfectly sober, and you always just brushed me off.”

“I don’t know. You never seemed like you were serious about it…”

“Kenma, I was absolutely serious! Every time you dismissed it I felt like you just didn’t love me enough to want to do it...”

Kenma took Kuroo’s slightly stubbly chin in his hand and forced him to look into his golden eyes.

“Why didn't you just tell me that before?” 

He couldn’t look away.

“...Because it hurt? Because I didn’t want to pressure you? Because I figured you’d at least give me some kind of sign if you loved me like that…” Kuroo sighed out deeply. “And I didn’t know what your love language was so I couldn’t really tell what you wanted…”

“What’s a love language?” Kenma blinked letting go of his face.

“It’s from this book Akaashi gave me. It’s how you express yourself I guess, like with affection and stuff,” Kuroo shrugged, feeling a bit silly that he still couldn’t figure it out.

“You read a book?” 

Kuroo slapped his thigh.

“I meant a relationship book,” Kenma smiled wryly. Kuroo read a lot of books, but most of them were sci-fi novels or sports/biology/health-related nonfiction. 

“So what’s yours then? Your language?” The former setter asked sincerely, his careful fingers brushed along the chisel of his fiancé’s collarbone as he spoke.

“I guess talking? Verbal communication, words of encouragement or something. I don’t remember all the details.”

“And what do you think mine is?” Kenma continued as he ran his knuckles up underneath Kuroo’s jawline, tracing it with silent tenderness.

“I don’t know Kenma, that’s what I’ve been trying to—”

But then it made sense. It ALL made sense.

Kuroo jumped in bed clasping Kenma’s startled face in his hands.

“It’s physical! Holy shit, Kenma, your language is _physical affection!”_ The tall cat shook him laughing so hard that the small cat had to pry his hands off. 

But he still held them in his own.

“That’s… great,” Kenma humored him, not quite understanding why this was such an exciting revelation. “Was it that hard to figure out though? You know I’m not good with words…”

Kuroo could barely stop laughing he was so relieved and drunk on the high of romantic catharsis he felt. He folded his little fiancé into another snuggly hug and pressed a few more giddy kisses into his arm.

“No wonder you always thought things were fine. We never stopped touching. Well, in private at least,” the blocker sighed happily breathing in the scent of his whole world gone right.

“Were.... things not fine?” Kenma asked quietly with a touch of concern.

Kuroo opened his dark grays, staring at the thin pale chest in front of him. Staring at the ring that laid on top of it.

“I thought maybe you didn’t love me anymore…” He admitted softly, the weight of all his emotional baggage being lifted with every truth he told.

 _“What?”_ Kenma said much louder than he’d anticipated. 

“I dunno! You weren’t really responding to the marriage stuff and we don’t exactly get to _do_ a lot together anymore because you’re so busy—”

“Kuroo, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth—”

“Kenma, it’s _not_ dumb! That’s what I thought and that’s why I figured you might say no! Which you essentially _did_ a ton of times whether you knew it not.”

Kenma sighed out roughly through his nose. Digesting all this. 

“Well, I do love you,” the semi blonde stated in a near pout.

“That is clear to me now,” Kuroo admitted with a sigh of his own.

“I guess I have to say it more. If your big dumb roosterhead can’t feel it every time we touch,” Kenma grumbled playing with the ring and chain on his chest.

“I do feel it,” the tall cat nuzzled his companion’s roots and placed a kiss there. “But I guess it couldn’t hurt if you tried to speak my language a little more.”

“Okay…” The small cat agreed, his face still pouty but sincere as their foreheads leaned against one another. “I’ve never stopped loving you. You’re not allowed to think like that anymore. You need to _tell me_ if you do because it’s not fair to put words in my mouth like that.”

“Alright,” Kuroo agreed with a small, reassured smile as he gazed at his adorable and incredible future husband.

“I don't know where we’ll get married, and honestly I don’t really care,” Kenma continued, watching Kuroo’s face as he spoke every word. “But I do want to be with you. I do want to do more stuff together. I’m just not good at planning this sort of thing, but I want to keep going too...”

Kuroo's heart was going to seriously die of relief.

“And if you really need me to stroke your ego verbally, I guess I’ll learn how to talk dirty or whatever…”

“Wait, what?” Kuroo’s mouth hung open dumbly at this misinterpreted statement.

“Is that not part of it? Affection with words or whatever?” Kenma frowned up at him so earnestly it hurt.

“It’s uh…” Kuroo tried very hard to destroy the horrible, naughty grin that was overtaking his features. “Yea. Yea, that’s a good place to start babe. You’re a genius.” He kissed him again in order to hide his giddy amusement.

“And you’re a fool,” Kenma breathed when they broke apart.

“Not denying it.”

“A mouthy fool.”

“That’s fair.”

“A mouthy, horny fool.”

“Kenma, I’m not—”

But the fingers that were now enticingly rubbing his crotch through his boxers proved otherwise.

 _“Fuck,_ babe you’re going to _kill_ me like that,” Kuroo panted lightly as he closed his eyes and felt himself harden against the beautiful friction.

“A worthy death,” Kenma whispered seductively, leaning up to reacquaint his tongue with his new fiancé’s.

Needless to say, they did not check out of their cabin as early as intended.

—

The sun was setting over the privacy trees and power lines out the kitchen window as Akaashi pet both the fluffy white and orange cat and the silky black shorthair after their meal. 

“I think your dads should be home soon,” the bespectacled owl reassured them thoughtfully. 

“You were both very good. Thank you for tolerating my boyfriend the other day,” he continued remembering how incredibly _loud_ Bokuto had been when he finally got to see the cats. 

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t met them before, but the spiker was _obsessed_ with how cute and soft and adorable they were, and the felines somehow put up with all of his giddy, booming laughter and grabby hands. All the way home that evening Bokuto had tried to make the case on why they too should have a cat. (Or maybe two. But maybe just one if Akaashi didn’t want two? BUT two would prevent them from getting lonely! And Akaashi didn’t want them to be lonely right? _Right?_ )

Keiji sighed. 

He loved his friends, but he cursed them for unleashing the soul-crushing paternal wave of interest Bokuto now had that would be casually dropped out of nowhere into _every_ conversation. Akaashi was a strong person, but that shit made him weak.

With another unintended sigh, the former Fukurodani setter slipped on his shoes and jacket and opened the front door to find a car parked out beyond the private little front garden area.

“Oi! Akaashi! Thanks for feeding the kids while we were away,” Kuroo greeted him cheerfully as he lugged a suitcase, a backpack, and two enormous hiking water bottles up the stone pathway.

Well, that seemed like a good sign.

The tall cat slapped his back gratefully, startling the wise owl for a moment, before practically skipping inside and yelling a hello to his "children."

A car door slammed shut and his other friend slowly made his way up the path carrying a backpack and an energy drink while dressed in his usual hoodie and jogger combo. 

What _was_ curious was the space buns hairstyle he sported.

Akaashi raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t say a word,” Kenma stated point blank as he approached.

“Did you have a good time?” Akaashi politely asked instead, glancing at his finger but frowning at its bareness.

“Kinda,” the semi blonde tried to suppress his grin as he pulled the hidden chain out from underneath his shirt. The ring dangled smooth and heavy in the air.

The sly smile that spread across Keiji’s normally stoic face was genuine and beautiful. This man could slay legions if he wanted to.

"Congratulations.”

"Thanks.”

The bunned semi blonde tucked the ring back in place for safekeeping.

"I suppose I'll have to actually thank you later," Akaashi mused, still smiling with such authentic sincerity.

"For what?" Kenma asked. Curious and blinking.

"Well Bokuto's going to see that and get ideas," the wise owl rolled his dark blue eyes. With that, he unexpectedly leaned over pulling Kenma into an impossibly warm and gentle hug.

"Seriously, congratulations. You guys deserve so much happiness," the wavy-haired setter spoke softly over Kenma's shoulder.

Of all times it could have happened it was _then_ that Kenma felt the sudden, inexplicable urge to cry. 

He rarely _ever_ cried. He didn’t even shed a tear when Kuroo was going through all his mood swings and drama during their trip and it wasn’t because he was heartless, he just didn’t ever cry anymore. He’d done enough of that when he was younger. He thought he was past it now. Like it was something you could grow out of.

God, he hated it.

"Okay, okay," the gamer said hastily, breaking their embrace and roughly palming off an eye before things got out of hand. "Thanks for feeding the cats Keiji. We owe you one when Bokuto flies you off to some island resort to propose."

"Oh, he wouldn't do that," Akaashi chuckled, amused at the thought.

"Why not? He's loaded with all those Olympic-level sponsorships, isn't he?" Kenma reasoned. He knew that national athletes made a decent amount of income, but _world-acclaimed_ champions with corporate sponsorship deals had much more lucrative prospects. 

In other words, Bokuto could afford that shit.

"Yes, but he's too impulsive for that," Akaashi admitted shaking his head. "Everything Kuroo planned for you took well over a year, if not many years, of planning."

_"What?"_

Kenma dropped his bag accidentally and hurried to snatch it back off the ground. Thank god he didn’t drop his drink.

"Or at least he's been talking to us for years about it. His actual research time for this trip was likely less than that."

Kenma stared into the open doorway of their house where he could hear Kuroo chucking their shit into the bedroom and hoisting a cat into his arms, talking to it like it was a baby.

"You can't be serious…"

Akaashi raised an eyebrow. Serious was kind of his thing.

"Ask him yourself," the wise owl said, patting his shoulder kindly. "Alright, I'll leave you guys to get settled. Text us when you want to meet up so we can hear all about it."

With that, Akaashi walked out of their little garden and off into the private residential lane beyond leaving Kenma in a foreign state of mild shock.

—

“My mom is calling…” Kenma frowned as he noticed the video chat request screen buzzing on his phone later that evening after they’d unpacked, showered, and changed into homey comfy clothes.

Kuroo shifted on the couch beside him, pausing their movie and reaching an arm around his shoulders.

“You should probably pick up then.”

Kenma made a face. 

“Did you _tell_ her?”

“Kenma, I didn’t say a goddamn word to anyone!”

“Akaashi knew.”

“Akaashi _literally_ knows everything! Pick up before you lose her babe,” Kuroo pointed out hastily as it buzzed for the eighth time.

Kenma sighed and swiped the icon to accept the call. As predicted, his mother was on screen grinning from ear to ear as she held her phone out in front of her. However, she wasn’t alone this time.

“Keeeenma!! Honey, how’d it go? Did you have a great time? Did you get to do anything _special?_ Tetsurou said you were having a good time, but we wanted to see if there was anything you wanted to share with us now that you’re home!” Miki Kozume bubbled over with excitement.

She then nudged Kuroo’s dad who oddly enough was sitting beside her. (Okay, so maybe it wasn’t _that_ odd. They were still next door neighbors and good friends who often talked to each other trading news about their sons like it was some sort of secret parental black market of information.)

“Hey guys! It’s beautiful up there this time of year, isn’t it? Was it everything you thought it’d be?” Joji Kuroo didn’t speak half as fast as Kenma’s mom did, but there was palpable anticipation on his face too. Kuroo looked a lot like his dad—classic bedhead, glasses and all. 

_“Kiyoshi!_ Come over here, Kenma is about to tell us about their trip!” Miki yelled behind her table chair at Kenma’s dad who was busy with something in the kitchen.

“Did I miss it?” They heard Kozume senior yell back muffled in the background.

Kenma very slowly turned to Kuroo who had a look of surprised faux innocence on his face.

“So do you have anything you want to _share_ with us?” Kenma’s mom was biting back her gleeful smile, but it was obvious she knew. In some capacity at least.

The small cat sighed a silent prayer for himself, shook his head, and then pulled the chain out from underneath his oversized sleep shirt for the second time that day.

“I KNEW IT! Didn’t I tell you Miki? I _knew_ it!”

“OMIGOD! OMIGOD! _OMIGOD!_ Our sons are getting _MARRIED!!!”_ Miki Kozume practically screamed and laughed at the same time. She slapped a _hard_ (and probably painful) high-five to Kuroo’s dad, that then crumpled into a side hug and quickly escalated to tears.

“ _Mooom,_ ” Kenma groaned in exasperation. “Don’t cry. It’s not a big deal. And you pretty much already knew, didn’t you?”

“ _Kenma Kozume,_ it _IS_ a big deal!” She shouted, palming off the tears on her face which couldn’t decide whether it wanted to grin madly in victory or crumple into a million little pieces of motherly emotion. “I can’t believe my baby’s getting _married,”_ she sobbed opting for the million little pieces route.

Kenma’s heart melted a bit. How long had she waited to hear this?

“Wait, did I miss it just now?” Kenma’s dad appeared behind his wife and neighbor with a small tray of taiyaki fish-shaped bean pastries like he’d been making them in anticipation of good news.

“You two need to come see us soon so we can celebrate!” Kenma’s mom managed enthusiastically as she tried to thumb off the rest of her tears as quickly as possible.

“Or we’ll come to you!” Joji offered, trying to be helpful. “We know you guys are busy, but we just want you to know how happy we are for you. It’s been a long time coming.”

“We’ll let you know dad,” Kuroo interjected, squeezing Kenma’s shoulder a bit to signal he was going to save them from a drawn-out conversation. “We’ll give you the play by play then, okay? It’s a long story. Lots of good hikes and nature and bears and stuff.

“Well that sounds like quite a wild adventure,” his dad chuckled, taking a bite of the azuki bean cake Kenma’s dad had offered him.

“Yea, something like that,” Kenma muttered.

“Okay, okay! Sorry for interrupting, we just had to know!” Miki sniffed, smiling like she’d never be able to stop. “Call us when you’re ready to get together. We love you. Congratulations boys. Oh my god, our kids are getting _married!”_

It was another minute more of well wishes, goodbyes, and shocked joyous relief before they hung up on their parents and sat quietly together on the couch in their living room surrounded by their cats, their things, and their memories.

Kenma sighed deeply.

“You okay?” Kuroo asked, grazing a thumb along his tee sleeve.

“Yea, I’m okay. This… is just going to complicate things though...”

“How so?”

“Well we can’t just go run off and do it now…”

“Is that what you wanted?”

“I don’t know…”

Kuroo pressed a kiss into the side of Kenma’s head.

“We don’t have to decide anything right now.”

“Okay…”

“Although I was thinking it could be cool if we flew to—”

 _“Kuroooo,”_ Kenma whined, dropping his head onto his shoulders because he was tired and as happy as he was, he didn’t want to think on it any more tonight. He wanted to watch this stupid movie, eat his stupid ice cream, and cuddle with stupid future husband.

“Kidding! Keep your gamer panties on. We’ll figure out the next adventure another day,” the blocker laughed, unpausing the movie and smooshing Kenma into a slumped hug of irritable adorableness.

The next adventure. 

There’d be another someday. As exhausted as the last one had made him, Kenma was grateful to know this with absolute certainty. 

Kuroo was his forever. It was a promise he believed with his whole heart, and he would go on as many wild adventures with his crazy, lovable best friend turned boyfriend turned groom-to-be for him to understand that. And maybe, if Kuroo was lucky, he’d be brave enough to say that in front of the people who mattered most to them because...

Holy shit...

_They were really getting married._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that was a worthy end to a fun, crazy, wild ride with these two! 
> 
> If you loved, liked, or found any joy in this let me know because there's a chance for a sequel or two if there's interest. Working on some other Kuroken and general Haikyuu fics as well (many of which I've shamelessly referred to throughout this story), so definitely save a bookmark or subscribe if you happen to want more! 
> 
> Also, happy Pride all you beautiful people. Thanks so much for reading. ❤
> 
> —
> 
> UPDATE: I'm slowly working on a sequel to this! It'll involve a lot more feels, fluff, adventure, and spicy times along with a full cast of friends cause they have a wedding to plan! 😉 Still figuring it out, but I'm hoping to use [Twitter](https://twitter.com/avogara) for updates and sneak peeks too. Thanks for reading!


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